Back to Beast
by Fae 206
Summary: Six years have passed since the transformation and Belle and Adam have a daughter together with the town benefiting from the prince's return. However, when Gaston appears wanting revenge with powers of dark magic, Adam sacrifices his humanity to protect his daughter. How is the curse going to be broken this time? Will Belle convince Adam that she still loves "The Beast"?AnimatedOne
1. Chapter 1 - Protection

**AN** : From the animated 90s version

I recently came up with a list of my ten favorite Disney/Pixar movies and I'm going to try to write a fanfic for each of them 😊 This idea has been in my head for a while, in fact I wrote something similar for one of my first fics when I was about twelve. I really hope that you enjoy it. Also, historical inaccuracies are defeated by fairytale lands and I changed some details to fit my vision. I'm also going with the name Adam since that's the fan favorite. Anyway, really hope you enjoy.

 **Back to Beast**

 **Chapter One: Protection**

Adam. The name sounded so good when Belle whispered it aloud. She stood at the inventor's fair, Adam had told her that he encouraged her going and accompanying her father. He provided a good life for Maurice who had decided to live in the village. However, inventing was his passion and just because his son-in-law provided for him, it didn't mean he was going to give up on his ideas.

Over the six years that the two of them had been together, Belle had learned a lot about her once-beastly husband. He was only third in line for the throne but soon to become fourth or fifth as his eldest brother was to have twins, and he was the youngest of two other princes.

His family had returned one time after the enchantress had changed his life. They had quickly abandoned him, deepening his anger and resentment at the world. He had changed though, become dear, sweet, kind, he was her dream man and she hadn't been dreaming of being a princess, only of finding somebody whom she could connect with.

Adam had studied for the past six years on how to fairly lead those who were under his jurisdiction, the land that was once given to him by his parents and it consisted of six neighboring villages, including the one that she was in for the fair. He had struggled but in the end, and with her help and guidance, been able to absorb a lot of the knowledge.

They had one daughter who Adam had insisted be named Isabella to use a variation of Belle's own name. She was three years old and she adored her father as much as Belle did. He had improved so much and she was beyond proud to be his wife, his princess.

"All right," Maurice grinned, "Let's get this beauty set up," he gestured to a bail lifter that would be able to put hay in the back of a carriage for horses. It was supposed to help farms and he could control it with only a few presses of buttons once he got the hook on securely. It seemed one of his better inventions.

"Father," Belle grinned, "I think that this one is one of your successes. I wish that Adam was here to see it. He always supports your work," she said trying to help his confidence. She loved him even more than the day that he had transformed back into himself. He had grown and changed so much.

Maurice nodded, "He's certainly turned into quite a young man," he said, "nothing like that Gaston."

"Father," Belle protested, "If I never hear that name again in my life, I will feel all the better for it. Adam and Gaston are nothing alike. Gaston was a boor, someone so obsessed with his own image that he would have never had time for the dogs and boys he wanted. Adam spends time with me despite how busy he is. He's got his priorities in the right place and he often buys me new additions for my library though even I would never be able to read that many books."

"Well," Maurice nodded, "You have no idea how glad I am that you found somebody to love."

Belle nodded before seeing one of the judges coming over to them, "Here we go," she said as she placed a hand on Maurice's shoulder and they stood facing the judge. Belle had told them that she didn't want them to place bias on them. They were to be judged just like everyone else, that was what Adam would want as well.

…..

…..

"Sire," Cogsworth smiled as he approached Adam who had just returned from his latest journey. "I must insist that you look over some paperwork before doing anything else. We need to finalize our plans for the next event as well as strengthen our diplomatic relationships."

Adam looked at him with a weak smile, "Give me a chance to catch my breath first," he said before Cogsworth sighed. Adam turned to him and placed his hands on his old friend's and advisors shoulders. "I promise you that it will be my second priority. However, I've been away from my daughter long enough and I insist on seeing her."

Cogsworth sighed, "Very well. I do have to admit that you have your priorities sorted, six years ago…"

"Six years ago, I was a very different person," Adam argued, "You might not have even referred to me as human. Now, I assume that she's left Maria and she's with Mrs. Potts," he said and Cogsworth nodded. "Very well, I'll meet with you after I've seen her. She should at least know that her father has arrived home."

"Well, yes…I have to agree with that," he said as he watched Adam leave. He had to admit his pride in the prince. He had definitely grown up into a caring father and husband as well as doing his best to help those in his care, his rule as it were. Cogsworth watched as Adam walked hastily to the kitchen and smiled as he saw his daughter sitting at the table.

"Sire," Mrs. Potts smiled as Adam walked over to his daughter, picking her up in his arms and holding him close. He opened his mouth to say something but Isabella spoke first.

"Daddy, I misted you," she said in a sweet voice and Adam kissed her forehead.

"I missed you too, my sweet princess," he smiled as he grinned down upon her and she pressed her face into his chest, enjoying his warmth. "I hope that she was not too much trouble," he asked the once-teapot.

"She's never any trouble. Been quite a help to me actually," Mrs. Potts grinned and Adam held her close.

"Is that right?" he asked her with a smile, "It sounds as if you were a great helper." Isabella looked at him, the love for her father showing in her eyes. "Since you were such a well-behaved girl, let's think of something fun that we can do this afternoon-"

There was a loud crash as the door swung open and Adam's eyes widened as he saw the man who, first of all he believed had died, and secondly had tried to kill him in order to win Belle's affections. He had no idea that the man would one day return.

"You won't be doing anything," Gaston said as he looked at him and Adam glared at him, trying to control the anger that seemed to be retuning to him. "You won't be able to do anything…at least with her. She looks just like her pathetic mother."

Adam held Isabella closer to him. "Despite your unexpected survival, my guards will soon be throwing you out of this castle. You have no right to step near these premises."

Gaston walked closer to him and Adam tried to hand Isabella over to Mrs. Potts but Gaston put a hand on her before he could do so. Adam grit his teeth. He only had rare occasions when he felt this…beastly. When he knew that Isabella was in the woman's arms, he turned towards the man and grabbed him by the throat.

"I don't like to use anger anymore but I'll make an exception for you," he said and Gaston pushed him away, his eyes turning dark and soon there was an ominous air in the room.

"You think that pure guts were the key to my survival. You, of all beings should know about the dark magic that exists within this world and I've had five long years of study," he said and Adam paused. What was he talking about? A moment later he heard Mrs. Potts gasp and saw that Isabella was no longer in her arms. He grabbed him by the throat again, throwing him onto the ground.

"Where is my daughter!?" he roared. He felt like an animal again but he would do anything in his power to protect his family and friends. "What have you done with her!?"

"I'd take a good look behind you," Gaston said as if challenging him, "If my memory serves me correctly, Belle always did enjoy a good book."

Adam turned around and saw that there _was_ a book behind him, a collection of fairy tales. He froze as he saw an illustration of his daughter moving around, staring back at him with tears running down her face. Words appeared next to it. 'Daddy. Help. Daddy'

Adam's eyes widened as he ran a finger down the book and the little girl touched it. What had happened to her.

"Release her!" he snapped, "Release her or your death will be imminent."

Gaston shrugged before smiling coldly. "For six years I've been in hiding," he told him, "Now it's your turn. I'll release her on one condition," he said and Adam stared at him. He would give anything to protect his and Belle's daughter. This was his child!

"Your condition, state it now before you are on the recei-" Adam said and Gaston raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I want, you animal. Now, that curse may have been broken once before and you may be protected from it but I know that if you agree to it that it'll have an effect on you. It'll have an effect on your family as well," he said and Adam paled. He knew exactly what this vile, disgusting man was talking about.

"I'll agree to it if you restore her," he said with a bowed head as Cogsworth who had arrived at the kitchen heard him, his shocked face focusing on Gaston. "Please take her away from me," he said as he turned towards the head of house.

As he saw the illustration turn back into his daughter, he felt a sharp pain down his back and crashed onto the ground. Mrs. Potts immediately coming beside him. Her face turned into one of shock as she saw the black haired man disappear in a puff of smoke but her attention turned to the prince. Adam's body was growing again, that dark brown fur coating his body as he moaned in agony. The pain was worse than he remembered it having been.

"Sire," she said as she saw his head grow and a tail spring out his back. He had returned to his familiar appearance and she worried for him mentally. After some time, the curse had been completed and she looked at his monstrous form. He was "The Beast" despite them remaining human. "Adam," she said softly as she placed a hand on his back, her hand spreading into his fur. "Adam, are you hurt?" she asked showing her concern for him.

"Only my pride," he growled back. "Is it…worse than the last…the last time?"

"You look the same as you did," Mrs. Potts replied. However, this time there didn't appear to be a way out of the curse. He had done this for his daughter, sacrificed his own human life to save her from being only a picture in a book. "Are you sure that you're not hurt? Your organs, your chest, your lungs," she said and Adam looked to her.

"Thank you, for taking her away from me. I don't want her to see me like this," he said as he took a look at his paw.

"We're better equipped at taking care of you, now" Mrs. Potts said as she managed to shift his arm onto her shoulders. "Sit down, rest," she said to him and Adam looked at his reflection in a mirror that hung on the wall. He recognized the way he looked at he hated it. At least his daughter would be okay. He wanted to hide from the world. He reached out to pick up a spoon but his hand went over it clumsily.

"Here," Mrs. Potts said as she reached for a warm cloth. "It's okay," she said as he pulled back from her and she placed it on his cheek. "You're most likely in shock but as I said. We're okay. We're better equipped at taking care of you. Belle will be back soon."

"Belle," Adam said as he pulled away from the woman who had been like a mother to him during his childhood. "No, she can't…she can't see me like this…I don't want her to see me like this. The dungeon. I need to be taken to the dungeon."

"Adam, I don't think that's a good idea," Mrs. Potts said, using his true name in an attempt to be comforting to him, to show her concern and care for him, the way she loved him as if he were a son to her.

"Lock me up," he begged her and she gazed into those blue eyes. She knew that he was desperate but she was worried about him. His mind…if he was in the dungeon then how would his mind work, would he fall into insanity.

"The tower," she said and Adam looked at her, "I'll take you to the tower. It'll be better than…"

"Fine," he told her, "as long as I'm hidden," he reached out for the second mirror that the enchantress had given Belle. At least he could watch his family from there. "Take me to the east wing tower," he told her and despite the growing concern, Mrs. Potts nodded. At least it was better than him being completely locked up, caged as if he were some animal. He had returned to this state to protect his daughter, it was a noble and heroic thing to do.


	2. Chapter 2 - Isolation

**AN:** I will most likely continue the flashback in the next chapter. To those reading and enjoying this story, thank you. As said, it's my first Beauty and the Beast story in quite some time so I hope that you're at least finding it interesting.

 **Chapter Two - Isolation**

Belle froze as she heard the retelling of the story. She had come back to the castle after sunset and so had been informed that Isabella was in bed. What was truly concerning her was this story. The man who had tried to get her to marry him despite not loving him had turned her daughter into an illustration that was only able to be reached by a book and so her husband had chosen to take on the curse of the beast so that she would be okay, so that she would be safe.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand," Belle said as she looked at the woman that she cared for greatly. "Gaston is alive and Adam…."

"He was quite serious about being locked away in the dungeon," Mrs. Potts told her and Belle covered her mouth alarmed, her eyes widening and shaking her head slowly. They rarely if ever used the dungeons and she hated knowing that they were there. That Adam would voluntarily trap himself there because of his curse, that wounded her emotionally.

"He's not…is he?" Belle asked. She knew how stubborn he was, if he really wanted something then he couldn't be prevented from it.

"He's in the east tower," Mrs. Potts told her and Belle nodded slowly. "You know, where you started your jour-"

"I know where it is, thank you," Belle told her as she stood up and Belle heard a voice behind her.

"I wouldn't do that, he's expressed to us that he doesn't want you to see him whilst under the curse," Cogsworth told her and Belle rolled her eyes. How could he say that? She had seen him as the beast, she had fallen in love with him. Of all people, she should be the one to see him. Well, woman or not she could be just as stubborn.

"Then he'll have to learn how to deal with it," she said. She grabbed the keys before walking away to the tower. He didn't deserve this. He had done this to protect a life, taken a huge burden on himself, he didn't deserve this.

…..

…..

Adam looked at his paws again. Would this undo the previous six years? He had tried so hard to change himself and now he was starting to feel that anger again, that anxiety. He had to keep himself together before he lost his mind within this form. He was the same person but trapped under fur. He had to keep reminding himself of that. Same person but as if under a weighted costume.

He had to adjust to being in here because maybe being locked up would help him or at least he wouldn't hurt anyone. He couldn't let them see him like this. He couldn't let Isabella see him. He froze as he heard a key in the lock and tried to back away to the shadows.

He was surprised when he saw Belle enter. Of course, she knew, she was good at figuring out puzzles and she was headstrong. If she had found out what had happened, she would have come to see him.

"Adam?" she asked as she blinked into the darkness, "Are you in here, darling?"

"You shouldn't use that name" Adam finally growled and Belle turned her head in the direction of the sound. Darkness, he was trying to use darkness to hide in. Belle hummed before taking a step in the direction of where she had heard the noise. She wasn't afraid of him like the first time they had met. He would never harm her on purpose.

"It's your name. It still belongs to you," Belle said as she saw the flash of a large shadow. She turned towards where the shadow had come from and turned to the side so she could use the light to see him. She nodded as she recognized this form. She had believed that he had been like this when she was ignorant and just a peasant from a poor provincial town. Now she knew of his human side.

Adam's eyes made contact with hers and he pressed himself against the wall.

"You know, you can't really hide from me and you shouldn't," Belle said as she gazed into those beautiful blue eyes as they stood in the near darkness. "My love, it's all right. You don't need to hide from me. Please step into the light," she requested and she saw the pain in his eyes.

He sighed before doing so and Belle nodded. She had seen him like this before. She wasn't scared of him but her heart hurt more than it had the first time for him. He was her husband now. She had known him for six years and what kind of a man he had matured into. She let her fingers brush through his fur before she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt.

"It's okay," she tried to tell him, "I love you. Beast or not, I love you."

"It's not okay," she heard him argue, "This form, this monster, how am I suppo-"

"Adam, look at me," Belle pleaded. She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "You know what you told me when the curse was broken, the first time. You turned to look at me and told me that it was you. You're the same. The outside isn't what's important, please know that to me you are the same person that I fell in love with."

"You shouldn't use that name," he protested and Belle faced him confidently.

"I am going to continue using it. You don't act like a beast anymore. You've shown your colors as a hero, as a strong and wonderful person who I am very fortunate to call my husband," she took another step forward and let her hand bury into his fur. She leaned up and kissed him, feeling his sharp jaw and the larger teeth, the fangs. He was surprised by the kiss but soon kissed her back, his paw going through her hair. She took it in her hand and let her head press into it. "See, it's not that bad," she whispered as a few tears fell from her eyes.

"You're crying," he commented and she nodded.

"Because I feel so bad for you," she said as she threw her arms around him again. "I love you so much. I never want anything bad or painful to happen to you. Now, can you please come to bed with me. I'd appreciate that."

"You don't want to look at the beast when you wake up," he told her and Belle held onto him, pushing her head into his fur and she felt him hold her back.

"I want to see my husband no matter what form he may be in," Belle assured him. As she pulled back and saw his hope, she tried to dab away the tears from her eyes. "I won't leave you," she assured him. "I will never leave you."

"Don't be a fool," Adam replied as he took a few steps from her and Belle stared at him. She bowed her head and shook it.

"The only foolish one in here is you if you don't see how unconditional my love is," she tried to comfort him but he shielded himself, hiding away from her again. "I'll be back later. Please try to get some rest. I really do love you," she said honestly as she stepped away from him.

She brushed away more tears as she stood outside the room and her heart twisted in her chest as she held the key to the lock. She couldn't do it. She couldn't lock him inside no matter how he might want her to. She put her hand to the door and then took a step forward, pressing her lips to it. "Adam," she whispered knowing that he couldn't hear her, "I love you."

…

…

Belle felt weak as she took a look back in the direction she had just come from. She didn't like the idea that he was alone up there at all. She didn't like the way he was treating himself and holding himself responsible for what happened to him. She most definitely didn't like the way that he didn't appear to trust her.

Belle walked into the kitchen area and her eyes lit up as she saw the fresh ingredients that one of the servants had bought. She could make something for him, porridge or a thick soup, something where they could both eat without the need for silverware. He found it difficult to use silver ware with his paws or he had last time he had been in this form.

Some kind of fresh soup would probably be good for the two of them. She looked through the bags before hearing a voice behind her.

"What do you think that you are doing, Madam?" Cogsworth asked and Belle turned to him in surprise.

"He hasn't eaten has he?" she asked and Cogsworth sighed.

"I'm afraid that the answer is no and I don't see him ready to eat at any point soon. It's such a debilitating thing to be cursed and I was cursed for many years. Of course, the master does have more abilities than I did as a clock," he smiled before stepping forward and putting the bag out of Belle's hands. "Now, what was it that you wanted to make?"

"I'll be all right," Belle protested, "It's just a soup. He needs to eat something to keep his strength up. I'd be happy to make it for him rather than be a bother to anyone else."

"I feel that I could produce a better meal and it's no trouble, I assure you of that, really it isn't troublesome." Belle nodded slowly, she understood that it was easier with Cogsworth to just go along with what he wanted to do. He had good intentions even if he was set in his ways. "Are you sure that the master is ready to eat?"

"I don't know," Belle admitted, "but I'd rather give Adam the choice. He won't come down on his own, I know that much about his stubbornness. He still eats like a human…without the silverware of course so I need for him to have food if he's going to stay up there."

"Any preference as to what is made?" the head of house asked as he rolled up his sleeves and Belle shook her head.

"Just something where he won't feel too hungry. Even if he wants to be in isolation right now, I don't want him to starve. I don't like his lack of confidence but…" Belle sighed, she closed her eyes, "I just want to make sure that he doesn't go hungry."

…..

…..

 _Belle hadn't been to the palace in the capital before, of course why would she? She had been the only daughter in a small village with her father being a pre-successful inventor. She had only really come to know the royal life after living with a man who had once been a beast. Everything was more fairytale than historical fiction._

" _I…" Belle said showing her nervousness and Adam looked at her, taking her gloved hand and kissing the back of it._

" _I assure you that it will be fine," he told her, "It's just a formality and one that I'm anxious about as well. I was discarded by these people myself but I survived and only through survival did I meet you and they wouldn't treat you nearly as terrible."_

" _They treated you terribly?" Belle asked. She had a hard time believing that Adam was talking about his own parents. He looked to her and nodded._

" _I don't blame them though," he said and Belle stared at him confused. "Imagine returning to your own child to find that he has turned into an animal and you fear for your own safety. No, it was right for them to leave me alone, for them to fear me."_

" _They don't need to fear you any longer," Belle said as she touched his cheek and smiled to him. "Let's show them what a kind person you've turned out to be. How you now care about more than just yourself." She looked at him with a smile, "You're not a beast," she said as she put a hand to his chest. "You are the man that I love. You are a prince."_


	3. Chapter 3 - Hiding

**AN:** I am so thankful for the reviews and the support on this story. Beauty and the Beast (the animated one) is my favorite Disney movie and I'm really happy I get to write a fic that people have shown such love towards. Thank you.

 **Chapter Three - Hiding**

" _You are the man that I love. You are a prince," Belle said as she looked at Adam with such passion and determination in her eyes. Adam was thankful for that, thankful that he had been the first one to see the true Belle and how amazing she was._

 _He was about to bring her up into a loving embrace but heard a voice that made his inside chill over._

" _Well, if it isn't the prince that turned into the monster," a woman asked and Adam dropped down into a respectful bow with Belle immediately curtseying to her despite those words. "I mean, who gets themselves into that ugly situation, your heart is probably still medieval,"_

 _Adam closed his eyes and Belle could see the pain he was going through, "Hello, Mother. It's nice to see you again," he said respectfully and the queen looked at him as if he were still in his beast form. "How have you been?"_

" _True elegance is lost on a creature such as you," the queen said and Belle grabbed to Adam's hand, squeezing it immediately. They had to maintain composure._

…

Adam sighed as he looked at his paw in the light of the moon. How could he have thought that he would become anything more than the hideous beast people had called him? This was the form that had defined him for so long. Wasn't the word recidivism, when you returned to the dysfunctional state you thought you were cured from and if this wasn't a dysfunctional state then what was.

The door opened and Adam's eyes flashed up. Hadn't Belle locked him in here? Well, he shouldn't have expected anything different.

He looked down with a heavy sigh but was greeted by a man's voice instead.

"It doesn't seem wise to me to be sitting down on the ground when it's this cold, it would affect one's posture in the long run," Lumiere said as he walked over to the prince. Adam closed his eyes. What good was the fear of losing one's posture when this body was so hard to move around in. He had done everything he could to become a better person and redeem himself in Belle's eyes. "So, we are sitting in silence, I see."

"Well, I was," Adam bit back and Lumiere sighed, letting his back rest on the wall next to his friend. "Look at me, I mean, what good am I to anyone in this state?"

"Having heard the full story, that state makes you into a hero," Lumiere smiled, "but sitting in the darkness does nothing. You need light, wonder, magic, beauty to truly understand what you can do in this world and where you best fit in. Now, I might not be able to produce all the light but I have experience in living in it."

Adam rolled his eyes, "If you hadn't lived in so much light, you wouldn't have nearly been melted," he argued and Lumiere nodded in agreement. "I'm just glad that this curse didn't affect anyone else this time. Nobody else is hurt and you can all cage up the beast."

"It's statements like that that will make Belle worry for you," the former-candelabra said as he closed his eyes and calmly waited with Adam. "It is my understanding that your daughter is asking to see you. I would hate to disappoint her."

"It would be an even greater disappointment to her were she to see me like this," the prince argued and put a paw to his face. "No, the isolation is better than scaring her. She's so young, so innocent. To have her know that her own father is a monster. I can't do that to her."

"Still, it is her own father who took the risk and saved her life even at the sacrifice of his own. Now, if that isn't parental love then I don't know what is," Lumiere said before standing up. "Well, the information has been presented to you. It is yours to decide what to do with it."

Adam felt his heart twist as he watched his servant out. He didn't know what to do but he wanted to be the father she loved, however that father was a prince and not a creature.

…..

…..

Belle was carrying the soup into the east tower and her eyes widened as she found that Adam had left the area. She looked around, making sure that he wasn't hiding in the darkness. He wasn't here. She couldn't see him and she had hope that he had gone to their bedroom and come to his senses that it wasn't the outside that was important but his heart and mind.

Should she leave the soup here? He would still be hungry, right? Belle smiled, she would take it to their bedroom and hope that he was there, hope that she had calculated his moves correctly. She left the room and made her way to their bedroom in the west wing. Hopefully if the soup was covered it wouldn't get too cold.

Walking through the castle, she paused as she neared their room and found Adam hiding behind a corner.

She raised an eyebrow as she managed to put the soup down on a table in the hallway and came around to face him as he peeked around the corner. "What are you doing?" she asked as she saw how nervous he was. She looked at the room that he was trying to look into without being seen. Isabella was sleeping soundly but she had also gone through so much of a shock.

"She won't hate you if that's what you're thinking," Belle said as she reached out to place a hand on his arm. "She might not recognize you but she's not going to be scared once you explain to her who you are."

"I don't want to scare her," Adam said as he pushed his back against the wall. "I mean, look at me. You were much older than she was when you saw me and you were still terrified of me in the beginning. Maybe Isabella is a lot like you but she's still a young child. No," Adam bowed his head and shook it so Belle took a step towards him, "I can't do that to her."

"Hey," Belle smiled as she placed a hand on each of his cheeks and saw him open those stunning blue eyes of his. "Adam, listen to me. She won't hate you and that fear will leave her quickly once you show her how gentle you've become. When I met you, you had been trapped in isolation and abandoned by your family, you had every right to be angry but you've changed and she loves you, she will continue to love you."

"You don't understand how it feels to look like this," Adam said and Belle put her arms around his neck, pressing her head into his chest.

"Maybe not but I love you. We'll handle this together, okay?" Belle reached to his cheek again and let her fingers go through the brown fur. She caressed his cheek and heard a soft purr which made her smile. It didn't matter to her what this outside was, he was still her husband and the man that she loved even if nobody else would see it that way.

"Come to our room with me?" Belle asked as she reached for his paw and Adam nodded nervously allowing Belle to smile, at least he wouldn't be in the tower.

…..

…..

Belle saw Adam climb onto the bed – which was fortunately large enough to accommodate both of them with him in his returned form – and she grabbed a larger blanket. She placed the soup on the side in case he was hungry but as he turned to his side on the bed, Belle got down opposite him.

He was much larger than before but there was still her husband that she adored sharing the bed with, she curled in closer, often Adam would hold her when she slept. She pushed her head into his fur, his body was warm and it was as if it was a pillow. She smiled gently but found Adam to pull back.

"Are you sure?" he asked and Belle blinked up at him, "I mean, with all this fur, my claws, teeth, the way that I'm looking. You've seen me like this before but we've never been…we've never been together whilst I've been like this," he said and Belle smiled.

"Adam, I want to continue being with my husband and your fur doesn't bother me, it's soft and warm and I can hear your heartbeat, I'd be more upset if you didn't allow for this to happen," Belle said as she sat up again and gently caressed his cheek. She kissed his mouth again and touched him right around the horn. She saw his expression soften as if he was some animal being pet behind the ear.

No, she had to get those thoughts out of her mind. Adam was a prince, he wasn't some kind of exotic pet. He was the one who had shown her that she could have a charmed life, a beautiful life with a family that both understood her and respected her. No pet could do that and she didn't want to feel any disrespect for him because of his change in species.

"How does that feel?" Belle asked as she gently ran her hand over the sharp horn.

"Surprisingly pleasing," he growled out and Belle sat up, she moved backwards and placed a loving kiss onto each of his horns. He looked at her, his eyes still showing his fear that she might have a complete change of heart but that simple love and confusion that Belle had started with had grown into a truly unconditional love for him.

"I'm going to change into a nightgown and then I'll be right back," she promised him and he reached his paw out for her. She took it in her hands and pressed a loving kiss to it. "I promise that I'll be right back."

Adam watched her longingly as she undressed and then put on her nightgown. He still couldn't believe that he had won the affections of someone so smart, kind, and beautiful. He didn't deserve her, especially like this. He was scared that his anger and frustration would come back and at that time Belle would leave and take their daughter with her. He wouldn't blame her if that happened.

He was deeply in love with her and it was out of his control. Even if something happened that made Belle leave him and even if she married Gaston and had children with him, he would still love her. As long as she was safe and happy then nothing else mattered. Well, he would be jealous and want her back but in this form did he even have a right to feel those emotions?

Belle swiftly returned to his side and cuddled closer to him. "I love you, Adam," she repeated once again and heard him purr. He probably didn't mean to do so but it was pretty adorable. She reached up to stroke his cheek again. "Maybe we could make some more clothes," she suggested. "Or have someone make them so you don't feel so exposed. What you did was very heroic and shows how amazing of a father you are."

"I can't be close to her until she's much older," Adam told her, "Tomorrow morning I'll return to the tower."

"She just wants her Daddy," Belle said as she tried to meet his gaze and saw the shame that he was carrying with him. She smiled as she snuggled into his warmth. "It'll be okay, we're together, it's going to be all right."

"I don't think that I could get through this without you, Belle," he honestly told her and Belle laughed.

"Then I assure you that I have no thoughts at all about leaving you," she tried to assure him and smiled as finally his body relaxed and he closed his eyes, ready to go to sleep.

 **End of Chapter Three**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapters One and Two**

Maria, Romance and Musicals, Roxas gx,


	4. Chapter 4 - Daddy

**AN: Thank you for your patience in the update of this fic**

 **Chapter Four - Daddy**

When Belle awoke the next morning, she hadn't expected to hear her daughter screaming in horror but she soon grasped what had happened. She looked to the side where Adam had been sleeping but he wasn't there any longer, instead he had gone to the farthest corner of the room. She was scared of him but that wasn't surprising, the form of the beast might scare any child.

Belle looked over at him sadly before turning her attention to Isabella. "Darling, sweetheart," she said as she picked Isabella up in her arms. "It's okay, it's all right, don't be scared, it's all right."

"But the monster?" Isabella asked as she turned her face into Belle's chest, "He's going to eat us. He's going to gobble you up," she cried and Belle saw Adam's horror as he fled from the room before she was able to stop him and calm Isabella down.

"He won't eat us," Belle said sadly as she brushed her daughter's hair back. "I promise that he doesn't want to cause us any harm, he's scared too," she whispered as she kissed her forehead. Isabella looked at her with disbelief.

"He's a monster, monsters eat people," Isabella whispered and Belle pulled her closer.

"Not this time and he's not a monster," she told her and Isabella looked around. Usually both her and Adam would comfort her but Adam had made the decision to flee to keep her from being scared. Belle wasn't going to let her think of him as just a beast. "Sweetie, that's Daddy," she told her and Isabella shook her head.

"He ate Daddy?" she asked with tears in her eyes and Belle shook her head.

"No, he _is_ Daddy," Belle said as she sat her daughter on her lap, she placed a hand on her cheek gently. "You remember yesterday, right? The black haired man?" she said and Isabella hugged her tightly, pressing her face into Belle's chest. She nodded and Belle knew that she was scarred because of that incident. "He did something mean to you, right?" she asked and Isabella nodded in terror. "Well, Daddy saved you but he got cursed. Daddy got turned into a beast because he wanted to save you like our knight, our hero. That's what Daddy looks like now and you should know that Daddy would never want to hurt you or scare you."

"Daddy isn't a monster," Isabella protested and Belle looked at her lovingly. She was a lot like her father. Hopefully she could understand this or Adam would never get over the pain.

"Daddy isn't a monster," Belle told her daughter. "Not on the inside, he may look like a monster but he's still Daddy. He won't hurt you. You _know_ that Daddy would never ever hurt you, don't you?" she asked and Isabella nodded slowly. "He may look very different but he's still Daddy inside. He loves you with all of his heart, we both do. He still wants to play with you and hug you and kiss you and be with you but he's scared that you'll be scared of him."

"He looks scary," Isabella cried and Belle kissed her forehead, stroking her hair back.

"I understand but please trust me. No matter how scary he looks, he's still Daddy, do you want to see him?" she asked, anxious to what Bella's response may be. The little girl nodded nervously and Belle picked her up. "Let's go find him. He needs to know that we're okay," she said and Isabella cuddled closer to her mother.

As Belle exited the room, she saw a lump behind a large tapestry and then looked down to see those large feet sticking out from the bottom. She walked over to him, pressing her hand against where his chest was. "Adam," she said softly, "can you stop hiding? It's okay, it'll be okay," she told him. She tried not to smile because this was a serious situation but she had to take note of his large body and how he had tried to hide like a child would.

"Is it?" Adam growled and Belle sighed.

"It is, it's going to be okay," she tried to promise him. Belle placed Isabella on the floor. She wasn't sure if the little girl would go running off but Isabella went closer to the tapestry and moved so she could see Adam behind it. She looked at him before running back to Belle and grabbing her hand, hiding behind her.

"Please come out, it's going to be okay," Belle tried to assure him as she managed to see him through the early morning light. Slowly he shifted out from behind the art piece and Isabella gasped, still hiding behind Belle. "Isabella, it's okay. It's Daddy," she said and Isabella looked at her father who was shaking and pushing himself against the wall.

Eventually, Isabella poked her head back out from behind Belle, "Daddy?" she asked him and he nodded. She recognized his eyes. He was terrified and her father rarely showed her those emotions. "Daddy, is that you?" she said as tears filled her eyes and the prince nodded. Isabella nervously ran forward and Adam crouched down so he could hold her in his arms.

"Isabella," he said as he held her close to him but his arms would still give her the option of running away. "I am so sorry. I'll leave and then you won't be so scared," he told her and Isabella took a step backwards. She looked at him and tilted her head to the side.

"Daddy?" she asked again and he nodded, bowing his head sadly but Isabella reached out and gently petted him. "Daddy, don't go," she begged and Adam looked at her surprised, his blue eyes showing his want to be with her. "I'll be good. I'm not scared. Please don't go," she said as there were tears in her eyes. "Don't go without me."

"I won't go," he told her and Isabella hugged his head. Adam lifted his head so that he could hold her to his chest. Belle grinned at the two of them. It was heartwarming the way that the two of them still cared so much about one another. "I'm so sorry that I scared you, my little princess," he said and Isabella cried into his chest, his fur.

"The bad man did this," she said and Adam nodded.

"Yes, he did," Adam nodded and Isabella gave a weak smile as she took a few steps backwards but her expression wasn't of terror anymore but of confusion and curiosity. She reached up and put a hand on her dad's horn.

"Daddy took on this curse to protect us, to help us," Belle tried to tell her daughter. "He did this so that that man wouldn't hurt me and you."

Isabella looked at her father who nodded.

"You can still play with me, right, Daddy?" Isabella asked as tears ran down her cheeks. Adam very gently let his paw brush against her cheek but she turned into it and cried.

"We can still play together," he told her with a nod. "If you'll let me, I'd still like to take care of you, Isabella. I love you so much, princess," he said as she gazed into his eyes.

"I love you too, Daddy" she said before hugging his head and kissing his furry cheek. Adam felt a shiver down his spine but he looked up at Belle and saw that she was trying to hold back tears at how they were interacting. Maybe things weren't as bad as he had first thought.

…..

…..

As Mrs. Potts started her work in the kitchen that morning, she worried about the young master. He was ashamed of his appearance again and she was scared that he would lock himself away and mistreat himself. She didn't know how to stop him though. He had his own family now but he would keep them at a distance and that wasn't healthy for any of them.

Mrs. Potts was putting together breakfast when she heard the door open and she looked up, she was surprised by what she was seeing but she grinned happily. There must have been a lot of progress through the night. Adam was holding Bella as he usually did, carrying her in his arms but this time in the form of the beast.

"Adam," she breathed in relief, "It's so good to see you," she said and Adam placed Isabella on the floor. "It's good to see you too, my love" she said to the little girl and Isabella turned to look at her father.

"Daddy can eat breakfast too?" she asked and Mrs. Potts took a look at the prince and nodded.

"Of course, he can," the woman grinned as she hugged Isabella and then made her way over to Adam. Without hesitation she threw her arms around him and felt his warmth through his fur. "Didn't I tell you it was going to be okay?" she asked as she let her fingers bury into the fur on his cheek. "We can take care of you, we can all take care of each other."

Adam nodded sadly but jumped as he heard the door open again and watched Cogsworth enter. The former clock took him in and nodded, having heard what Mrs. Potts last words were.

"Of course we'll take care of you," he said. "Nothing to worry about. I'll make the needed adjustments to accommodate this old form of yours. It's the inside that counts anyway. That's what I've always said."

"Thank you," Adam whispered to them as he bowed his head gratefully, "You have no idea how thankful I am to the two of you," he said.

"All in the line of duty and of friendship," Cogsworth nodded. "Well, you've lived through this condition once, I have no reason to doubt you can't live through it again and this time we're able to assist you, you know being a number of feet taller than we were."

Adam smiled gratefully but he was still worried, he felt love but would that disappear? Who could ever stay in love with a beast?

…

…

Maurice was working on another invention as he stood outside his home which had been fixed up thanks to Adam and Belle. There were still the animals that lived in the field but because Belle was married, there was a hired hand to help them. Maurice looked up as he wiped some sweat off of his brow.

"Hello there," he heard an unexpected voice and flinched as he slowly turned around and saw someone who made him feel faint. How was this man alive? He opened his mouth as he stared at the once-town hero.

"Why, hello there…Ga-gaston," Maurice said as he hid a little behind his machine. He just had to act normally. Yet, this was a man who had tried to murder his now son-in-law and take advantage of his daughter. He definitely wasn't a fan of his. "It's a surprise to see you."

"Well, I came here looking for Belle. Whether she agrees to it or not, I will soon have Belle under my command," he said and Maurice tightened a bolt.

"How's that? Belle is married now, she doesn't live here and she wouldn't leave Adam. She has more sense than tha-"

"You want to see what Adam is? The only thing that he has ever been," Gaston said before turning his hand over a bucket of water and showing Maurice an image of Adam in his new returned beastly form.

"What have you done?" Maurice asked. He wanted to get to the castle as soon as possible. He wanted to talk to his son, make sure he still understood that the outside wasn't as meaningful as the inside by far.

Gaston chuckled coldly, "Only turned him into his natural form. Who could ever love such a hideous creature?" he asked and Maurice felt his heart breaking for the family. He had to trust that Belle wouldn't leave or who knew the consequences of that choice.

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Three**

Galahsrock, Romance and Musicals, roxas gx


	5. Chapter 5 - Mounted on My Wall

**AN:** More castle scenes in the next chapter as well as another Gaston scene. Hope you enjoy this chapter though 😊

 **Chapter Five – Mounted on My Wall**

Belle arrived down into the dining room just as the breakfast was being served on the table. It was a meal of fresh eggs, bread, and a small serving of soup. Belle looked at the plate before seeing Adam's hesitation. She gazed at her daughter who was holding the fork intended for her age and then saw Adam's paw slipping over the spoon as he struggled to pick up the small object.

"Darling," she whispered, "It's okay. Here," she said as she got up and took the spoon from him, "Let me find you something a little larger, maybe there's something in the kitchen."

"Belle," Adam whispered as he put his paw to her upper arm and she stared at him nervously. "It's okay. I'm okay, please go ahead and eat your food," he growled to her and Belle placed a hand on his cheek before kissing him.

"If I can do anything to help," she told him and Adam nodded. He gazed nervously at Isabella before dropping his head down to the plate and starting to eat as an animal would. Belle wanted to stand behind him, assure him that it was okay for him to eat like that, but she concentrated on her own food.

"Daddy," Isabella laughed, "You're messy."

Belle saw Adam hang his head shamefully. She reached out to place her hand upon his paw. "Sweetheart, it's okay, please eat?" she pleaded and then turned to Isabella, "my love, please try to understand that Daddy has difficulty doing some of the things that he used to do. He may be a little messy or a little clumsy at times." Belle saw Adam nervously try using the spoon again, it was no use.

Belle looked at her own plate and wiped her hands with her napkin before picking up the egg with her fingers and eating it with her hands. She saw Adam watching her before he did that himself. She hadn't wanted him to feel alone again or ashamed of his actions.

"I hate to disappoint," Adam said with a look to his daughter and to his wife. "I don't think I'll be joining you in town today. I would prefer to stay within the castle boundaries," he said and Belle nodded.

"We can do that," she told him and Adam shook his head.

"Maurice is expecting the two of you. I don't want to let him down, I'll be sending you with Alexander in my place if that is okay," Adam said referring to the head of the guards who had once becoming a suit of armor.

"I can stay here, we can stay here, right Bella?" she asked and Isabella nodded but Adam shook his head.

"I'm not going to let you drop everything, change your plans just because I'm in this _form_ ," he told them, unexpectedly raising his voice a little. He should have gotten used to speaking whilst trapped inside this…this creature. He put a hand to his forehead and groaned. "You should go and enjoy yourselves. I'm going to figure out what I can actually do in this…position."

Belle nodded before wrapping her arms around him, burying her face into the back of his neck and kissing him. "If that's what you want then we'll only be gone for a short time. We love you," she tried to comfort him and he nodded.

Isabella jumped up and went to hug her Daddy's leg, "Love you, Daddy," she grinned at him and he let his paw push her closer. At least his family hadn't abandoned him yet.

…..

…..

One of the first things that Belle noticed when she returned to the town was a new shop. Unlike the bookstore that she loved or those which made clothes for the women of the town, the most popular stores, this was something else. A hunting store. It made her feel ill inside.

Yes, people loved to work with stuffed animal heads mounted on their wall and there were people who wanted to have their own animals stuffed so they could remember them but the practice gave Belle nightmares. She closed her eyes as she stood in front of it and placed her hands on Isabella's shoulders as memories of the night she had both lost and found Adam played in her mind.

' _We're not safe until its head is mounted on my wall.'_

No. That was before people knew Adam, before he had changed and done his best to govern over this and the neighboring towns, villages, and cities. They wouldn't hurt him, right? They wouldn't consider him a beast after knowing him as a human?

As Belle stared at the mounted wolf head on the building, she heard someone approaching them and pulled Isabella closer to herself. She saw a young man exit only a couple of years younger than herself and he bowed to her. She nodded back with a smile.

"I'm sorry, I was just leaving," she said as she tried to turn Bella away.

"Just leaving? Surely there must be something of interest in here for you or even you, young lady," he said and Belle stroked Isabella's hair back and shook her head. She turned to the side where Alexander was watching the two of them. "I've got some impressive art as well."

Belle looked at him, slowly turning her head to the side. "I'm sorry," she said as she studied him, "this isn't really my kind of store but I do wish you well at your business. It seems that it would be popular with some of the townspeople," she turned before feeling the man try to pull her in. Belle pulled back but something caught her eyes. There was some strange art in here.

Taking a deep breath in, Belle focused on an art piece that was a painting of a room. A man who wore the clothes that Gaston used to was sitting at a fireplace though you could only see his legs and boots and on the wall was a mounted a very familiar head. Belle's eyes widened as she studied the way that they had demonized Adam's beast form.

"Regicide is illegal," she told the shop owner before trying to cover Bella's eyes but Isabella had already seen the picture. "Even the thought of regicide is illegal," she said firmly and the man turned to her.

"Bestiality is also illegal and what's the harm from bringing up the past. It's not as if that monster exists any longer though I would like to be the one with his head upon my wall," he said and Belle glared at him, her eyes turning to the horrific image again. She wasn't going to let them hurt him.

"I'm leaving, Isabella," she said as she picked her daughter up and carried her out of the shop. She turned to the man, "I'm warning you. Treason is also a punishable offense." Belle walked quickly away from the store and towards where her father's house was. Isabella still in her arms.

The small girl lifted her head and stared at her mother, "Mommy?" she asked nervously, "Why was there a picture of Daddy's head?" she asked with wide eyes and Belle tried to soothe her though her heart was breaking. She didn't want to imagine Adam in such a position, as just another trophy prize where people would pull apart his body for their own greed. She didn't know whether to tell him of this or not, she just wished that neither she or Isabella had seen the monstrous side of people.

"Belle?" Maurice asked and then grinned as he saw Isabella run to him. He scooped her up in his arms and then turned to Belle.

"Good lord," he commented, "You look as if you've seen a gho-"

"Adam," Belle said quietly, "What if he's not safe?"

Maurice took a deep breath and put a hand to her shoulder, "Belle, if he ever hurts you then I want you to come to me. Don't make excuses that he can't help what he's doing. He may be in the form of a monster but that doesn't give him any reason to act monstrous." He told her, "If he's not safe then you can sta-"

"I'm not scared _of_ him," Belle said with a raise of her eyebrow, how much did he know? "I'm scared for him. How did you…"

"I've seen the return of Gaston," Maurice told her and Belle's eyes widened. She sighed and bowed her head. "If all he is is a beast to…"

Belle frowned and tried to stop herself from showing the anger she felt towards her father. "Do you know why Adam is back to the way he was when I met him? It's not because he's a monster or he has some rage issues. That cold-hearted man attempted to curse Isabella and it was the only way of saving both her and myself. Adam took that curse on so that he could protect his family. He's suffering and you think that I'd leave him because he has horns and a tail. Father, I fell in love with him when he had horns and a tail. He's still my husband and he's got the same heart and head that he has always had."

…..

…..

As Belle arrived back at the castle, she made sure that Mrs. Potts was taking care of Isabella but she couldn't take her mind off of the painting. It was going to give her nightmares that if Adam remained this way, she was going to wake up to find him gone and then see only his head, decapitated and used for decoration.

Belle entered her bedroom to see Adam asleep on his side. He was wrapped only in the blanket, stretched in an odd way as if he were trying to find the best way to be comfortable. She truly loved him despite how scary other people might find him. If that made her an odd person then she didn't mind being considered odd. She walked towards her husband and gently sat down beside him.

She let her hand run through his fur and kissed him beside his horn. "I really do love you," she said as she got down into the bed with him and snuggled up to his back. He didn't mean harm to anyone and he definitely wasn't the monster that they had depicted him as. If they only knew how misunderstood he was.

"Belle?" he whispered as he gently pulled back to roll over to look at her. "Are you back already?" he asked and she smiled at him, gazing into those broken-hearted blue eyes. She placed her head under his chin as she took in deep breaths to calm herself down. He wasn't going to hurt anyone. Adam wasn't the kind to hurt anyone but they were too small-minded to give him the same chance.

"I missed you too much to stay away," she admitted. "I love you," she repeated again and he nodded.

"And I love you too," he said as he tried to study her. Something was upsetting her and he felt self-conscious. What if she was only pretending that it was okay that he was in this form? What if this was a deal breaker and she was forcing herself to pretend to love him? No. He had to get out of his own head. He had to try to rise above the self-doubt.

"Belle," he asked as he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, "I'm sorry," he apologized but she shook her head.

"Adam," she breathed in, "I don't want your head to end up on a huntsman's wall," she said honestly and he looked at her. He had to admit he had thought of the idea but he had never wanted her to feel pain from it when it was just an idea. He loved her.

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Four**

Galahsrock, Maria, Romance and Musicals, roxas gx,

 **AN2:**

Thank you for the support, glad you liked the interactions 😊


	6. Chapter 6 - Beastly

**AN:** Not as sweet and cute as I had originally intended and there's a huge twist that will hopefully be resolved either next chapter or the one after it. It's a somewhat painful twist as well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and thank you again for all of your support.

 **Chapter Six - Beastly**

"Okay," Belle smiled as she brushed Isabella's hair back. The two of them had chosen to read in the library which was one of their favorite activities especially if Adam would watch the two of them whilst looking over some books to help understand the economy of the towns around them. He would try to learn as much as he good and consult others before enacting certain rules or bestowing any kind of money or gift. The first and most effective move he had made as a prince was admit that he had a lot to learn if he were ever to be of help to anyone.

However, Adam was elsewhere and Belle worried about him. His mind was slipping on certain things and he was becoming confused after transforming. She did trust him but she worried about his health. Maybe his beast self required different things than his human self.

There was a loud bang heard from outside the room and Belle steadied herself. The sound echoed through the halls and was repeated by another loud bang. It sounded like gunshots but they…why would she be hearing gunshots.

She looked over to a servant girl and kindly asked her to watch Isabella for a moment before rushing towards the source of the sound. As she finally located where it had come from, she saw blood everywhere and draped over the banister was a large pelt with some kind of meat on the ground. She ran over and noticed that the tail had been cut off and lay on the floor.

Her eyes widened as she realized that he was missing his head, where was….Belle felt something watching her, she turned to her left and then to her right, finding nothing. Then she looked up and span around. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the blue eyes that stared sadly out at the world. He hadn't wanted to die. He hadn't meant to die. Someone had…

…

…

"Adam!" Belle yelled as she threw her arms around her husband, sobbing into his fur with her body shaking. She felt Adam move but she just wanted to cling to him for a little more, just a little more.

"Belle?" he asked concerned for her, his thumb pushing some of her hair behind her ear. "Belle, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked her but she continued to sob whilst clutching to him, "Are you hurt?" he said and Belle saw the same concern in his gorgeous blue eyes.

"I'm okay," she said as she saw the desperate way in which he was watching her. It was obvious that he didn't know what to do for her. He moved closer to her and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm okay. I just had a bad dream," she told him. "Are you okay?" she gently let her fingers go through the fur on his cheek.

"As good as I could be," he told her honestly. "I think maybe if I could wear something then that might help. Of course, if I was myself then that would be what was best but as long as my princesses are safe," he said and Belle kissed his cheek lovingly.

"Nobody knows your condition," Belle tried to assure him as she moved so that she could rest her head against his chest. "Everyone still says that you're the most attractive man that they've ever seen. They still know how much you care about others and have learned to be a fair and righteous person whilst also showing humility. They aren't going to turn against you."

"Why don't we stop talking about it. I'll go over the new information for the towns tomorrow," he wrapped her up in his arm. " _You're_ not afraid of me, are you? That's what matters most, that I can be with my family, my loves."

"Of course not," Belle closed her eyes, her arms stretching over his body. "I'll do some research too. Maybe there's a book about curses, something to undo them, or enchantments that could help," she closed her eyes and sobbed painfully. Adam sighed, wishing there was something that he could do for her. If only there was something other than living in this body that he could do for her.

"Belle," he whispered as his eyes widened, "There is one thing, I was given it six years ago or I found it as a gift. Will you be okay if I leave for a moment?" he asked her and Belle stared at him. She could see the excitement in his expression and how it was almost childlike. She moved off his chest and nodded. She was scared to close her eyes again, scared that she might lose him. She sighed as she walked to the window and stared out at the world outside. If only that world accepted the outcasts more.

…

…

Less than an hour later, Belle heard a noise from the side and she smiled as she saw Adam holding a lantern and a rose colored stone.

"It doesn't last very long and I've actually never tested it," he told her before placing the stone near the heat of the candle. He waited nervously but as the stone got hot it blossomed into a crystal rose and he looked at his paws where his claws had started to change and he fell down under the weight of everything but he looked like his princely self.

Belle rushed over to him, seeing him rising to his feet though he looked exhausted. She cupped his cheek and let her fingers play with his hair a little. This was the man that she had married. She could see the true him but he had said that it wouldn't last very long. She was about to kiss him but found that he was breathing painfully but doing his best to hide it. "Adam?" she asked before she touched his forehead. "You're burning up. We need to get a medic," she said and Adam shook his head.

"I am fine, the rose only lasts a little while. It does take a toll on my body but I was told it allows you to see past the enchantment," he said and Belle paused. She did feel the fur despite not seeing any fur. She took his hand, pulling him out of the light but as soon as he had left the light, the rose turned back into a stone and she saw him return to his less-pained but more beastly form.

"You were…you," Belle said as she grinned to him. She saw his look fall, he was ashamed of being the way he was out of the light. Belle reached up and let her fingers graze over his horn. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. We'll break this curse, I promise," she told him and Adam sighed.

"As long as you're all right," he growled and Belle kissed his mouth again. It was harder to do so when he wasn't human and she could feel the long teeth that might cut into her skin. She could only kiss the side of his mouth but it was him, she could show him how much she loved him. He kissed her back, being very gentle towards her.

…

…

Belle watched Adam as he sat in the courtyard with Isabella right beside him. The two had gone to see the horse's and were now reading a book. She loved how much reading had been involved in their lives together and she placed a hand on the back of Adam's head, kissing him gently. "I'll be right back," she told him and kissed Isabella as well.

Belle walked into the castle, she should at least make sure there was something for them to eat and drink when they came back inside. She wondered if Adam would have to have more food because of the bigger body. Being the way he was would probably mean a greater expenditure of energy. She hummed to herself as she checked the cupboards. Adam's mother had had a problem with her independence but Belle wasn't going to let a title strip her of her freedom.

As she placed a few ingredients down on the kitchen's prep table, her eyes widened as she saw the man who had created this mess. She tried to play it cool despite the way that she was reaching for a knife for self-protection. "Gas-Gaston," she choked, "It's been a very long time."

"Playing with animals again, Belle?" he asked and Belle looked at him.

"Whatever game you think you're playing, there are ways to stop you," she said boldly, she turned. "I'm happy with my choice, we have a daughter together, not the sons that you once told me that you wanted."

"And your husband, the so-called prince," Gaston commented and Belle's eyes narrowed.

"Leave him alone," she whispered and Belle made sure the knife was in her hand. "He's done nothing to you that you haven't brought upon yourself. He made your deal with you to protect our daughter, what else could you want from him!?" she said, not meaning to yell as loudly as she did.

"He never made a promise to save you though," Gaston said and Belle shook her head. What did he want from her? What kind of magic would he direct towards her?

"I'm not going to fall in love with you," she said before feeling him touch her hand.

"I don't want that, I don't want you as my wife anymore, not in _that_ way at least," he said as Belle started to see fur grow on her arms, her hands start to turn into claws. She felt dizzy, was he actually trying to turn her into a beast? She closed her eyes painfully as she knew that she couldn't get away.

It was then that she felt herself pushed to the ground and she saw Adam there on all fours, making his way towards Gaston. "Don't you _dare_ hurt her!?" he roared trying to protect his family with every part of his being.

"Well, you could give me the other thing I want and then I'll turn her back," Gaston smiled. "I was only able to do half the work that I wanted to do." Adam looked up at him and his chest beat painfully.

"What do you want?" he asked, hanging his head in shame. What else did this man want to do with him? What else could he possibly want?

"People don't want a proper beast as their prince," Gaston smiled and Adam took a look back at Belle who was in beast form. She was gorgeous though, unlike him. Adam wanted to save her. He knew how hard this curse was and she was a beautiful, strong, independent mother. Adam nodded again and then felt something painful hit him, it was wrapping itself around his mind.

Adam took a look back to see Belle turn back to her human form but the way he kept losing small parts of his mind scared him. He turned back to see that Gaston was gone but it all seemed so fuzzy. "The dungeon!" he yelled at her as Belle saw the pain but also seriousness in his eyes. "Have the guards take me to the dungeon, use every lock and bolt available," he told her and Belle looked at him nervously. "I love you," he told her before closing his eyes and his mind seemed to slip into a weird hole, he couldn't think clearly. All he could think of was meat.

…..

…

Belle was terrified to see what harm Gaston had done. He couldn't keep doing this to people. He couldn't use spells and enchantments to continue getting his own way. She had the lantern lit as she went down to the deepest part of the dungeon and saw that he was chained up like a wild animal. He wasn't wearing any clothes and was on all fours. She felt horrified as she neared the cage that he was in but he backed away from her, growling and acting one-hundred-percent as an animal would.

She heard the frightened growl as she neared him and he backed up to the corner of the cell, his cage. "Adam," she whispered as she heard him growling, his body shaking as she knelt outside the cage. "Adam," she repeated with tears in her eyes. He had to be in there somewhere.

"Darling," she reached a hand out nervously before grabbing a dead rat from a bucket near her. She was sickened as she put it on her lap. He wouldn't eat this, would he? She heard him growl at her and then snap his teeth. She pulled back but threw the rat into the cage, her heart pounding painfully as she watched him eat it, some of the blood getting onto his mouth.

"Adam, please," she sobbed, "please remember me," she begged as she saw him retreat to the back of the cage. "I still love you," she tried to tell him but he just gave a snort back, curling up like a bear might. She hated this. Couldn't he get back to being himself? Was he too far gone mentally?

"Adam," she whispered as she picked up the stone that he had shown her the previous night. She hoped this worked. She placed it on the ground and put the lantern down so it touched the bars of the cage, it was a large lantern and she hoped that this would help. He just needed to come into the light and stay in the light, right?

Belle saw the glow of the rose and looked back at Adam who only growled at her. She picked up another dead rat and held it in her hand, offering it to him. Her breaths drew shorter as he approached her wanting to eat the dead animal. However, as he crawled into the light, he blinked. She saw his human form, naked and tied up. She didn't want this for him.

"Belle?" he asked as he blinked through the light and Belle put the rat down. She reached out to touch his cheek, playing with his hair a little as she sobbed. He reached out to touch her and she cried. He was still him. Underneath all of it, he was still him. "You have to leave, my mind…I can feel it right now but I can't connect with it when I'm in that form, I haven't been able to. I can't override the instincts of that form. You have to leave the castle, get as far away as you possibly can. Tell everyone else to do the same."

"It's going to be all right," she said as she gently cupped his cheek in hers and managed to lean forward enough to kiss him. "I'll find a way to break the spell. I won't leave you."

"Belle, you won't be leaving me," he tried to assure her as he looked down, hating the way he had become. "I don't even know what's going on, it's blurry but it's like my thoughts, I can't connect with my thoughts. It's too dangerous for you to be around me, you have to leave. Go to the village. Go to my parents. Go anywhere but you can't stay here."

"I…I'm not going to leave you," she said and he shook his head.

"I've already left you," he told her and she sobbed, wrapping an arm around herself. "I love you, Belle, but you can't stay here. I can't let you stay here. You did look absolutely gorgeous as a beast though," he said and she nodded with tears in her eyes. She didn't want to leave him no matter what state he was now in.

She moved nervously but accidentally knocked over the lantern. She pulled back as she heard the growls of the beast and grabbed onto the stone, picking up another light but it was too late. She grabbed another rat and threw it into the middle of the cage where he went to eat it. Just a moment ago she had spoken with him and she had lost him again. She tried to place the stone in the light but it didn't turn into the rose.

She backed away from the cage and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest and sobbed painfully as she watched the animal in front of her. All she wanted to do was save him.

 **End of Chapter Six**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Five**

Miri39, roxas gx


	7. Chapter 7 - Return

**AN:** This is going to be my last update for a little bit whilst I work on some other stories 😊 It was really fun to write so thank you for your support

 **Chapter Seven - Return**

"Mistress," Cogsworth said as he approached Belle who was looking through a pile of books on enchantments that she had pulled from the library. There was a lot of information packed inside of them but nothing about how to break Adam's spell. She bowed her head as she continued to scan the pages, there had to be something, _somewhere_. "Is there anything you require."

"You know you don't have to call me mistress," Belle said as she looked up from the book. She sighed and bowed her head, "He doesn't know what he's doing. There has to be some way of just…opening his mind and giving him the power to break free."

"Something like that is easily said but not so easy to achieve," Cogsworth told her regrettably and Belle nodded. She looked up at the sky.

"I hate that part of me is actually afraid of him now. I think if I was in danger, he'd be able to break free of the curse but I'm not certain. I don't want for him to be hurt and if somebody was to see him right now, they might get the wrong idea on his behavior."

Cogsworth sighed and sat next to her, "As traumatic as it might sound, the master is in the best place for him. He knows that he needs to be tied up if he's acting so much like…the outside appearance."

Belle sighed and stood up from the pile of books, "Could you let Isabella know that I'm thankful for her patience and I'll be with her in half an hour. I think that if I got more perspective on the situation, I might be able to come up with a plan to save Adam." Without another word, Belle started to walk through the courtyard of the palace.

However as she was reading, a book ripped out of her hands and she looked up. The book slid until it hit a pair of fancy dress shoes and Belle looked up to someone who looked like a gorgeous fairy, she dropped down into a curtsey instantly but the woman walked forwards, handing her the book.

"You don't need to bow to me, you're as royal as I am and you were the one who broke my curse, correct?" she asked and Belle nodded. The enchantress sighed, "I was a bit cruel that night. I had just had a horrible encounter with someone who had taken advantage of a spell I had cast in their favor and I just wanted to see the good in somebody else. I should have realized that a young boy opening the door by himself didn't deserve to be turned into an animal for so long. I thought that if his parents had shown him love and kindness that…."

Belle paused, "Adam doesn't dwell on the past. He thinks about the future," she said before looking away, "Or he did….I don't know where his mind is exactly any longer."

The enchantress nodded. "It's come to my attention that he's been cursed again and though I can't save him entirely, I can give you either something to restore the body or…"

"The body doesn't matter that much to me," Belle said as she bowed her head, "I fell in love with him in his beast form, I can stay with him whilst he holds that form. It's his mind. If you can give me something that will cure his mind, make his head and his heart work with the true him. It just…I don't know if you can imagine how hard it is seeing him not thinking like a human, eating dead rats," she shivered.

"Hold out your hand," the enchantress seemed to command and Belle looked at her curiously before raising an eyebrow suspiciously. She knew about curses of course but she was a little reluctant to do anything further to Adam's body. The enchantress placed some berries in her hand. Four in total. "Give him these and make sure that he eats every one of them. His mind will unlock after that and it will stay unlocked. That is my apology to him unless the physical is more important."

Belle cupped the berries to her heart and curtseyed again but when she rose, the enchantress was gone.

…

…

Belle knelt outside the cage with the berries in her hand, she knew that she was taking a risk by putting her hand into the cage. Even Adam himself had told her to leave and that he might do something that he would reject. Still, Belle steadied herself, the enchantress's words in her head. He just had to eat four berries and his mind would get unlocked. She saw Adam approach her and sniff at the berries before he ate them, nervously looking at Belle in the same way an animal might. He ate all four before retreating to the corner again.

However it was when he was there that he growled painfully and started to roll around whilst clutching his head. There were a few sparks showing the magic was having some effect and after a little while, Adam was on his back taking count of his inhales and exhales.

Belle nervously stood, pulling the key out and then saw those blue eyes flash towards her and he smiled gently.

"Thank you," he told her and she gasped using the key to get into the cell. She reached out and caressed his cheek, placing her hand at the side of his horn and letting her fingers run up it. He laughed as she did so. "My mind is back" he told her and Belle nodded. She gently kissed his mouth, placing her hand over it to keep him from talking too much.

"You need some rest, okay?" Belle told him. "As soon as you're able to stand, let's get you into some warm clothes and get you back to bed." She started to unlock the numerous chains that had been holding him and saw him close his eyes tightly. She froze as she studied him. He looked to be in so much pain and sadness and this was the opposite she had wanted for him. She hadn't wanted him to feel tortured.

"I couldn't control my actions," he told her and Belle nodded, her fingers going through his fur. "I really wanted to control my actions. I acted like an animal."

"And that animal wasn't you," Belle said as she kissed his forehead. "I love you."

"Belle," Adam said gently, "Could you give me a little time alone? I'll be okay," he told her and Belle nodded nervously. She kissed the top of his head again and placed a hand on his chest before getting up and leaving his side. She felt that there was a lot of pain that he was holding in that she wasn't seeing. It had been Gaston who had left him with these psychological scars.

…

…

Belle looked sadly at the dinner that had been prepared for them. She hadn't seen Adam since she had given him those restorative berries despite unlocking the chains for him. That had been hours ago. He had tried to protect her, tried to protect the people that he loves and now he had seemed to disappear from them. Maybe he was just exhausted, it wouldn't surprise her.

"Dinner looks yummy!" Isabella grinned as she walked to the dining table and climbed up on her seat. "Is Daddy eating too?" she asked and Belle looked sadly over to Adam's seat. He had always done his best to raise Isabella with love rather than materialistic wealth. He had definitely learned the important things in life and she could see the two of them interacting with Adam in his human form.

Was he trying to keep his distance from the two of them?

"Daddy might eat a little later," Belle tried to comfort her daughter but she wasn't so sure. She absolutely detested Gaston for not being able to leave their small family alone. If he had done some permanent damage then she would read all of the spell books that she could to get her revenge for their family. Belle sighed as she sat down opposite her daughter and smiled gently.

 _I think that Bella is starting to look more and more like her gorgeous mother every day. She's smart too, have you seen her interest whilst you're reading those books to her. I wish that I had had that when I was a child._

 _You know, I really don't mind looking like a fool as long as my two princesses are happy. I don't mind that you two are smarter than me because it makes me the most happy to be in the presence of two strong and independent girls._

Belle blinked as she saw the memory of her husband disappear to just the empty chair and uneaten plate of food that was covered to try to maintain the heat. She saw Isabella gazing in that direction and leaned forwards. "So, how about we read something fun after dinner?" she asked, "I uncovered a new fairy tale," she said and Isabella tilted her head to the side.

"Really?" she asked before looking down, "Does Daddy not eat 'cause I laughed at him?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered and Belle shook her head.

"Daddy is going to be okay. He understands that you laughed because he acted a little silly, right? Whenever Daddy does something silly he laughs too, right?" Belle asked as she took her daughter's hand. She didn't know how to explain what was going on but Isabella needed her father in whatever form he was in.

"I love Daddy," Isabella sighed and Belle nodded. She loved him too and she was scared of what would happen were he to distance himself further. She sighed as she looked at the untouched plate. "Bella, I'll be right back," she told the little girl. She stroked her hair back and kissed the top of her head. Hopefully someone could see to it that Adam was okay.

When she returned she saw that Isabella had finished her plate and she went over to her, stroking her hair back and kissing her on the forehead. "Let's go to the library. I'm sure that Daddy will join us in there afterwards, he likes hearing you read," she tried to encourage the little girl but Gaston must have caused much more damage than she had originally imagined.

…

…

Belle was just fishing up with the second story with Isabella and was about to put her to bed when she saw one of the maid's at the doorway. She kissed the top of Isabella's head and went over to the maid. "What have you found out?" she asked and saw the hesitation on the maid's face.

"It's too horrible, ma'am" the maid said and Belle paused, her heart hurting her. What were they talking about? She paused nervously.

"What is?" she said and the maid looked at Isabella.

"Please don't make me say it in front of the little princess," she said and Belle wanted to grab her, desperately ask her what the problem was but she knew that that wasn't in her nature. She nodded and looked at Isabella maybe after she put her to bed she could find out.

Belle placed her hand on Isabella's back and gently smiled at her though her mind was screaming over what could have happened to Adam. "Let's get ready for bed," she said though she was terrified. She wanted to be by his side but taking care of Isabella was more important to him. At least she would be following his wishes.

…

…

 _Belle smiled weakly as she looked at the newborn infant daughter that the doctor was holding. She saw the doctor pass the small girl over to Adam who was gazing upon her as she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She saw him nervously position her in his arms and then move next to her. He had changed so much and Belle laughed gently as she saw the happiness and excitement that was rushing through him._

" _She's amazing, Belle," Adam said as he gently held his daughter. "She's so precious. Thank you for giving me this gift of being a husband and a father."_

" _Well, thank you for being my husband," Belle grinned happily as she let her body rest in the bed, feeling blessed._

 **End of Chapter Seven**

 **Thank you for reading and thank you for your support**


	8. Chapter 8 - Slit The Animal's Throat

**AN:** Thank you for your patience in the update of this fic. I am also updating my Aladdin and Little Mermaid fics today so those will be out there if you want to see anything other which is Disney. I am also really excited about my new Big Hero 6 fic. Anyway, thank you for choosing to read this chapter 😊

 **Chapter Eight – Slit the Animal's Throat**

After Isabella was in bed, Belle started to pace the hallways. She didn't know what to do. The first thing that she wanted to do was find Gaston and wring his neck and make sure he didn't hurt her treasured ones again. That might be a little too much. Then there was the want to find Adam but she was scared of what might have happened to him. After he had turned into a beast for real, he had wanted to distance himself from his daughter. Belle didn't find that anything but harmful to her daughter.

As she stood there, Cogsworth approached her. "I think that it would be a good idea to go up to the tower," he advised her and Belle nodded. She forced herself to smile through the pain though there was a lot of pain to fight through. She made her way to the tower before she saw blood covering the stones and the door wide open.

She put her hands to her mouth. No. Please, please, don't let this happen.

She looked around. He wasn't dead was he? He couldn't be. He didn't deserve this and she would never get over the pain if he was gone and he had left them. Even if he did look like a Beast, it was the same Adam inside that he had matured into. When he had been cursed the first time, he had been a child and the picture on the wall had been given to him by the enchantress of what he was supposed to look like when the last petal from the rose fell. Why was he going around answering _palace doors_ anyway?

Then there was the feeling of rejection from his parents, the lack of love there. He had had to survive as a child by himself, of course he had built up feelings of self-centeredness and been spoiled. He had to defend himself and the idea of him being neglected made him see his once-childish attitude in a new light.

She looked all over the tower before she was approached by Fifi who looked out the window. "Madame," she curtseyed as she turned her attention to Belle. "I would check the grand dining room," she said and Belle looked at her nervously. "Word is that the Master has been taken there. I trust my light," she said and Belle studied her before nodding.

"Thank you," she told her before rushing off and as she hurried down the steps, almost tripping, her mind turned to horrific images. What had caused all of that blood? Was he able to survive through that? His body was bigger now, did that mean that he had more blood to give before he died? She hoped so. She didn't believe a human could survive that amount of blood loss.

Belle hurried down and opened the door to the room where there were a number of household staff seeing to the beast on the table. "Adam!" Belle gasped as she rushed over to him. She saw the way that his fur and the bandage around his throat was covered with blood and her eyes turned pained. He looked like he had been hunted and then slaughtered. "Adam," she trembled as she wrapped an arm around herself. It was getting harder and harder for her to breathe.

She saw him struggle to breathe and at least she knew that he was alive. This wasn't like when he protected her from the wolves, these injuries wouldn't heal so easily. What had he been thinking? How dare he think that to protect them that he had to leave them!?

"Belle?" Adam whispered with his eyes still closed and Belle walked over to him. She pulled out one of the chairs and knelt on it so that she could touch him as his large body was spread out on the table. She picked up his paw and held it to her cheek. She loved him. Even if he looked this way, she loved him.

"Please don't talk," she whispered as she felt the tears streaming down her face. "If it's painful, please don't talk, save your strength. I'm here," she told him, her hands holding his paw gently but still securely. "I'm here. I love you," she told him and he looked at her with pained eyes. He needed help and she was scared that he might not make it through the night.

"You're s-so beautiful," he told her and Belle shook her head. It wasn't that she didn't believe him. She _knew_ that she was beautiful but she didn't want to hear him obsessing about something as trivial as appearances. He was quite a catch himself and he had been known to be attractive when human. Belle still found him attractive in this condition, she could see through the fur and the larger bones and see the man trapped inside there.

"I'm asking you not to talk, okay?" Belle said. She gently placed his paw on the table and then went to his head, putting his hand through the thick fur near his horn. She knew that he hated this form and how insecure it made him but it didn't matter, this was the way he was when she fell for him.

"You should get some rest," Lumiere told him and Belle nodded.

"I'll stay right beside you," she promised and he looked at her with a weak expression on his face. "I promise, I'll be right here," she said and Adam let his eyes close with Belle watching him. How could one man still remain so insecure and afraid with so many people loving him?

…

…

Belle heard the chime of the clock on the wall signaling that it was two in the morning and she felt her cheek hit the table. She paused as it finally connected to her that one moment she had her cheek on Adam's body and now it wasn't there anymore. Her heart started to pound faster. He wasn't gone, was he? He couldn't be gone!

She looked up and saw that Adam was human again but the bandage wasn't covering his throat anymore and he wasn't wearing any clothes, naked and shivering, uncovered on the table. She didn't know what had happened but of course there had to be some type of supernatural reason for this.

"Sweetheart," she whispered as she placed her hand on his back and he looked at her as he woke. His body was cold and he needed help. "Can we get a doctor in here!" she called out and he turned to her, his eyes showing that he was weakening. He had tried to end his life and now he was finding that he had nearly been successful at it.

"He-Hey," he struggled to say and Belle looked at the clock on the wall. She was fearful of what seeing his human side meant. Was this the reward that he received now that his life was drawing to a close. Belle didn't want to believe that to be the case.

"You just rest," she advised as she heard the medical staff enter and them talking about how much easier it was to help him when he was human. Belle held onto his hand. She was getting more concerned that he _was_ in a human form again. When he had slept before she had told him that she loved him, he had always been a beast. Even when he was no longer awake, he had retained his form but now….

"I don't want you to leave me," she told him as she placed a hand on his cheek. "You have to fight, Adam, or I won't forgive you for leaving me." Adam blinked but saw the passion, determination, and most of all affection for him in her eyes. He nodded before remaining silent, trying to keep control of his breathing. He grabbed her hand and held it tight and she squeezed it back. The doctors were managing to treat him and Belle saw the clothes that he wore in his beast form on the table next to him. More than likely, he'd turn back, but she wanted to save him and human anatomy was easier for the doctors to follow.

"I won't leave you, okay?" Belle asked as she kissed his cheek again and Adam went to sleep.

"He'll be okay," one of the housemaids told her, her father being a pharmacist. Belle nodded as she looked upon her husband. Whether man or beast, her feelings remained the same. She just needed him to be alive.

…..

…..

It was at four in the morning that Adam's body returned to that of his beast form and Belle saw that his breaths were significantly less shallow and that he seemed to have more color to his fur. He was healing. She brushed his cheek again feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.

"I don't really get it," she heard Fifi at the doorway and her eyes travelled over to the once-feather duster. "You look at him in the same way no matter which form. This is what I imagine Lumiere and I to feel but is that wrong, or is it not?" she asked and Belle shook her head. It wasn't wrong.

"I think love is funny like that," she commented before bowing her head, feeling rather sleepy but she would wait until Adam was said to be able to move again. "I don't see Adam in different forms, I just know that I love him and I rely on that love to keep me moving," she saw Adam move his head in his sleep and she kissed his cheek.

"Isn't he the first man that you loved?" Fifi asked and Belle nodded.

"It doesn't matter whether you love one person or more than one in your life," she tried to advise. "I had many of the boys in the town try to take me on romantic trips with them. However, I was not attracted to them. They were dull boys and Adam is a man. I find that having things in common with him is most important. No other man has ever taken to reading like Adam has."

"So, if he remains like this?" Fifi asked and Belle saw Adam's eyes open as he blinked up at the ceiling. Belle nodded to the maid and then went to her husband, gently caressing his cheek. She smiled at him lovingly. It didn't matter that the world considered him a monster because she didn't. She pressed her cheek to his chest and breathed out slowly.

"I love you," she said and he put a paw on her back.

"I promised to fight for you before," he said and Belle nodded. "I need to figure a lot of stuff out, I don't know if I can continue like this," he said with complete honesty and Belle sighed as she swept her fingers down the side of his face.

"We'll figure it out together," she told him, "and that is a promise that I'll keep to you," she lifted her head and then laughed as she went to retrieve his clothes. "You want to put your pants back on?" she asked as she handed them to him and Adam looked down.

"You okay helping me with my tail?" he asked and Belle beamed at him.

"Of course, i am"

 **End of Chapter Eight**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to** roxas gx **and** Rushw0rk **for their reviews**

 **Wow, okay first of all I just had an image of Beast pirouetting on ice skates flash into my head, so where the heck did THAT come from!? But that would be fun to write an after the story fic with Belle cursed and Adam loving her**


	9. Chapter 9 - What I'd Usually Do

**AN:** Thanks for reading this fanfic. I actually just reread it myself and that's how I came to this idea. I wanted to include some interactions and possible plot development so thank you for reading.

 **Chapter Nine – What I'd Usually Do**

The images were getting stronger in her dreams and Belle felt so helpless to stop them. As she woke, she could see Gaston skinning Adam and then roasting the meat from his body. It hurt her to see this and she wondered if she had been cursed by that slimy man. She sat up and sighed as she realized that Adam hadn't gone to bed with her that night either. He had been hiding the majority of the day and Bella was getting worried about him.

Usually she and Adam shared the parental responsibilities. He was a good father and he always prioritized her and Bella but in his mind, the way he was prioritizing them was to keep away from them. Belle sighed and then looked at the sunlight through the window. Isabella should be waking up soon.

Belle got changed into a simple dress as she stepped out of their bedroom and went to wake Isabella. She froze as she opened the door and saw that the little girl wasn't there. She looked around panicked. If Adam had been his human self, she could imagine the two of them off playing together or trying to make her breakfast but Adam wasn't here, he was still trying to heal internally.

"Bella?" she called out nervously before hearing laughter from where the bath was. Maybe Maria – Isabella's nanny – had woken her to get her ready for something that had slipped Belle's mind. She would check it out. As she made her way to the room, the little girl's laughter got louder and she stepped inside.

She froze, choking out in relief at what was before her. Adam was giving her her morning bath whilst being in the form of a beast and Isabella was laughing at the way they were interacting. "Good morning," she smiled as she placed a gentle hand on Adam's back and he glanced at her, tensing a little.

"Belle," Adam whispered as he looked at her nervously and Isabella tugged on his hand. His fur was wet and a little matted but he was here with their daughter.

"Daddy, you have to finish my hair," she said and Adam nodded nervously as he grabbed the conditioner and put some on his paw before letting his paw rub it in. He smiled to her, his fangs showing a little but she grinned back. Belle felt tears in her eyes as she saw the two of them interacting as if nothing had changed.

She knelt down beside Adam, being careful of his tail and kissed his cheek trying to help him keep his confidence. "It's so good to hear the two of you laughing," she commented and Adam tensed again. He played with one of the bath toys as Isabella finished washing her hair. Adam stood, grabbing her robe as well as a towel and put a paw on her shoulder. As the little girl finished playing, he scooped her up with his paws and wrapped one towel around her, using the other to gently dry her hair.

"Daddy's making it really fun," Isabella told her with a grin and Belle took Adam's paw in her hand. She saw how he tensed and his eyes widened but she was happy. He had taken a step forward and instead of hiding, he was being with his daughter. "Thank you," she said to him with an adorable smile.

"No, thank you," Adam replied as he helped her with her robe and pulled her into a loving hug, the same expression on his face as when he enjoyed being a father as a human. Belle put a hand on Bella's shoulder as the embrace came to a close.

"Bella," Belle said softly as the little girl turned to her, "May I have a little time with Daddy?" she asked and Adam hung his head. "Do you think you could go to your room and select some clothes?"

Isabella nodded and skipped off, Belle moved closer to her husband.

"I just wanted to pretend I was normal," Adam told her sadly as he looked at the towel in his hands. He kept his head bowed as if expecting to be reprimanded and Belle hated the shame he was experiencing. He had just done something that a parent should be doing, he hadn't done anything wrong. "I wanted to interact with her as if I were still her dad."

Belle blinked hard, she looked at him shocked. "As if you were still her dad?" she repeated before throwing her arms around him. "You _are_ her dad. I am so proud of you, Adam," she said and he gave her a weak smile before looking down again. "You're not giving up. You're moving forwards. I love you so much."

"I…I arranged for us to have breakfast together," Adam told her and Belle tilted her head with a smile. "I wanted to apolo-" Belle reached forward and softly put her hand over his mouth and he looked at her with those stunning blue eyes that just told her his emotions so well.

"No apologies," she told him as she put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him passionately. Adam hesitated at first but then pulled her closer to him to deepen the kiss despite his much larger jaw than hers. Belle pushed her head into his shirt, feeling the warmth underneath. "I'm so glad that we'll be eating together. Thank you, thank you for having so much courage, for loving us so much," she told him and he smiled, nodding silently.

….

….

Belle watched Adam closely as she sat at the table and turned to see him pick up the plate of food and very slowly start to eat as an animal might. She saw Isabella smiling at him but she wasn't laughing at him like before. She picked up some of the egg with her fork and lifted it to her mouth. "So, you have your studies today," she commented as Bella looked at her, "but I was thinking maybe the three of us could spend a little time together tonight," she turned to Adam who nodded nervously.

"Would that be okay, Bella?" he asked her and the little girl nodded excitedly.

"Anything that I can help you with today, my love?" Belle asked Adam as she reached out for his paw. It was a little as if he were blind or deaf, he would need help performing certain tasks until they had managed to come up with a plan on how to do it.

"The kingdom, the…there has to be more spending and balancing the budget," Adam said nervously before staring at the table. "I want to do my best for as long as they'll allow me to rule."

"I'll help you with that," Belle told him as she squeezed his paw. She was scared that he wasn't going to be able to write anymore. He wasn't going to be able to do calculations because he had trouble holding a pencil. Hopefully his dexterity would improve in his paws. She looked at her loves, happy that she could see the two of them at the same time. She just hoped that Adam would stay this way, attempting to have as much of a normal life as possible.

…..

…..

Adam took a deep breath as he looked up at Belle who was staring at the calculations he had made. He was using his own money for this two week period so that the villagers wouldn't have to pay taxes and then he was refinancing the smaller businesses. This wasn't the first time he had done something like this but it had always been on a smaller scale. She hoped that he had thought this through.

"Are you sure about these numbers?" she asked him and Adam nodded, "Your parents."

"I want to be able to go to the village one day," he told her and Belle smiled sadly. She knew that he wanted to create a feeling of gratefulness but she wasn't sure if they could ever outweigh the fear that they were being ruled over by a beast. He wanted to create harmony but if people saw him they may still be frightened. "As for my parents, this is my money and not theirs. I have plenty."

Belle sighed and sank down next to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Maybe we should take some of the guards with us, have them protect you. Have you come out and be honest with everyone," she said as she gently stroked his horn and heard him purr. She knew he didn't mean to make that feline-like sound but it made her love him even more.

"Sire," one of the guards spoke as they came to the door, "We heard someone has entered the grounds unannounced. Do you wish us to take them to -"

"It's fine, could you bring them in?" Adam asked before looking to Belle. "Could you go see them in my place?" he asked and Belle kissed the top of his head before gently caressing his horn again and left with the guard. Adam kept his head bowed. Go into the village? Put himself in danger? Put his _family_ in danger? There were benefits, yes, but the risk seemed to outweigh those.

A short while after Belle had left, he heard her return to the room and this time she wasn't alone. Adam raised his head before his eyes got wider and he stood up before dropping into a bow and then pushed himself against the wall of the room. He had a suspicion that Maurice despised him, especially when he was in this form but wouldn't anyone despise someone who had imprisoned them and then imprisoned their daughter.

"Adam?" Maurice said as he took in the form of the beast, "I see. Wish I had some kind of invention to cure that condition of yours, eh?" he asked and Adam choked not sure whether to smile or not.

"Ye-Yes," he nodded and Belle came over to him. Belle took Adam's arm and led him over to the chairs again as well as pulling one out for her father. "It's…it's good to see you in good health," he growled out and Belle looked at her father who seemed to pull back slightly.

"I wish I could say the same but the castle still looks nice," Maurice chuckled and Adam nodded slowly. "New guard didn't recognize me. You should tell them that."

"I will," Adam choked and Belle kissed his cheek, she reached up to touch him behind the horn and he relaxed. Maurice had to admit that he looked as if he were a deer or some kind of dog with the more relaxed emotion by just that simple action. He turned to Belle. "I'm sorry, there are some natural impulses that I can't control," he said and Maurice nodded as he looked between the two of them.

"I get it, you don't need to apologize," he said before Belle touched Adam's shirt, straightening his collar a little.

"We've been thinking about going into the village," she said as she saw Adam's shame, she kissed his cheek. "With guards of course," she said and Maurice nodded slowly.

"Just make sure you have them," he commented, "the guards, I mean."

Belle nodded shakily. She just wanted Adam to be safe, his happiness mattered a lot of course but he just needed to be safe.


	10. Chapter 10 - Acceptance

**Chapter Ten - Acceptance**

Belle sighed as she looked over the plans on how to set up a new system for the village. Adam had wanted to set it up as soon as possible but Belle wanted to wait for a short time before doing so. Maybe something would change his mind in the next three days when he wasn't working on emotion so much. Belle slid a hand onto one of Adam's horns and kissed his cheek lovingly before turning back to her father. "Papa, you wanted to see Isabella."

"Of course, of course," Maurice laughed as he woke up having fallen asleep in front of them. "I would never say no to seeing my granddaughter."

"I'll go find her, she'll be excited to see you," Belle said before squeezing Adam's shoulder again and left the two men in the room together. She smiled at Adam once again before leaving and Adam pushed his back to the wall.

"I don't think an apology is enough," he said and Maurice looked at him. "I've done terrible things to you and Belle in the past," he looked at his paw and turned it. "Seeing me this way. I must remind you of that beast that was within me."

"Time's change," Maurice told him and Adam shook his head.

"Your forgiveness is appreciated but I haven't done anything too worthy of it. I tried to separate the two of you for very selfish reasons. If you truly think she would be better going back to the town then take her. I want what's best for her," Adam said as he closed his eyes. "My presence here, my existence."

"Adam," Maurice said as he walked to the other side of the table and took Belle's seat, "I have only ever wanted the best for Belle. I see how happy you make her."

"You must think that she was forced to love me," Adam told him. "I know that she would be ideal on that Gaston's arm. I don't deserve her like this so if you do believe that she would be better off away from this castle then I am asking you to take her."

"She'll stay right here," Maurice laughed and Adam looked at him nervously. "Do you really think that there are men who care for my daughter and her dreams as much as you do. Belle was called odd by the villagers but I know you've never perceived her that way. The first time you were placed in this position wasn't it true love that was able to save you," Maurice chuckled. "This time it is for saving your daughter, protecting her, a choice that I would have made for Belle without hesitation."

As the two men sat there, Belle knocked on the door again and Isabella grinned as she saw her grandfather there, she ran towards them but ran past Maurice and hugged her Daddy. Adam pulled her into his arms and she buried her head into his fur whilst laughing. Maurice place a hand on her back.

"Just like her mother, affectionate towards her father," Maurice commented and Adam smiled. He was glad that Isabella was running towards him and not away from him. "Hello, Isabella" he laughed and Isabella turned to him whilst Adam held her on his lap.

"Hello Grandpapa," she smiled before she looked up at her father. "Daddy got trapped," she tried to explain and Maurice nodded. "He's still Daddy though even if he is messy when he eats."

"I have a little trouble with silverware," Adam tried to explain and Maurice chuckled again.

"With paws like those, I'd imagine so."

Isabella nodded energetically as Adam shifted uneasily in his seat. "Will you join us for dinner, Grandpapa?" she asked and Maurice nodded. He looked at Adam who was overjoyed by the way that Isabella had accepted him. Maurice knew him to be the same strong and caring father that he had always been since the birth of the little girl. He doubted that Adam had changed into the beast that he looked like.

He should at least give his son-in-law a chance.

…

…..

"Give my compliments to your chef," Maurice grinned as he finished his second plate of food. He turned towards Adam who was barely eating because of the way he had to lift the plate and eat in the manner of an animal. Maurice knew that the reserved nature was because of him but being a beast was a disability. He needed to show respect to his son despite those bad memories.

"Daddy is eating better," Isabella commented and Belle nodded.

"Papa doesn't mind seeing you get a little messy," she told him as she held his paw. She thanked one of the servants as they tidies the dishes away and looked towards the room where there was the comfortable chairs and the fire. She and Adam had discussed this before and it seemed a good time.

"I'm going to go find something," she said, "I think we should sit by the fire."

Adam nodded as he stood up and Isabella immediately ran to him and grabbed his wrist. He grinned down at her and she laughed as she saw his bigger teeth. Her father was usually so presentable but it was difficult to look presentable in his condition. Maurice followed after them and Belle excused herself.

She ran to go and get the stone that would temporarily show the true Adam.

As she passed by the main hallway, she was stopped when she saw one of the guards being spoken to by Cogsworth. She pushed her back to the wall so that she wouldn't be noticed and she could eavesdrop on the conversation. She steadied her breathing as she watched the two men.

"Are you content to live with that _thing_ again?" the guard commented and Belle blinked and looked down. "It should have died."

"And that is precisely why you are being let go," Cogsworth said in a very formal manner. Belle could see the anger that was filling him, it was the same that was filling her. "To kill the master would be regicide."

"The master?" the guard laughed, "I was turned into a suit of armor for _the master_."

"We all had sacrifices but it's not about who or what we were, it's about who we are and the change that he has gone through, the change that he has made sure that he went through. If you knew anything about him then you would know he lives with the regret of what happened to all of us but might I remind you that he was eleven when we were cursed. It was my fault for not answering the door," Cogsworth said as he got himself into a more formal position, Belle could feel that each of the members of the house who had been objects regretted their decisions.

"It's not what happened, he threw his anger around destructively. Are you seriously believing that he won't be destructive in the future, that he won't _eat_ his wife and daughter?"

Belle had to hold herself back from getting involved in the conversation but the idea of Adam attacking them wasn't real. He wouldn't eat them. How unintelligent was this fool?

"I know that not all of us think of the prince as family but he is a prince, this is his castle and he's worked hard to do what is best for those under his rule, his care. However, your opinion is not worth a lot here and I must continue to request that you leave. You will be compensated for the days in which you worked here," Cogsworth told him and then pointed to the front door. "You will leave or I'll have the head of the guards take you off the grounds by force."

The guard looked at him before walking away and as the door closed, Belle took a step out from the shadows. She turned to Cogsworth who was straightening his clothes and looking towards the doorway very sadly. Belle walked over to him.

"Are there really….did he really think that Adam…" she said uncomfortably and Cogsworth sighed.

"You shouldn't concern yourself with these men," he said and Belle blinked.

"But there are staff members who do believe that Adam has returned to being a monster?" Belle asked starting to feel even more protective of the man that owned her heart. She didn't want to admit to understanding this sentiment. They didn't know Adam as well as she did. She was glad that her father had seemed to come close to accepting him in his new form.

"Did you honestly think there weren't?" Cogsworth asked her and Belle felt her stomach twist but it felt that she needed to ask this question.

"And you?" she said feeling relieved when Cogsworth shook his head.

"He is like family to me. A nephew maybe. I have seen the development and growth and maturation that he's gone through these past years but even before that, I knew that it was partly my fault, my responsibility that this happened. Although he was cursed, Adam has always had a lot of good in him. That's why I chose to stick to his side through thick and thin and try to guide his decisions. It wasn't easy but it was the right thing to do," the former clock stated and Belle smiled. At least he hadn't been completely alone.

"I'm going to retrieve something from my bedroom. I don't think that Adam should hear of this," Belle commented and the head of house nodded.

"I agree with you. We don't want a tragedy on our hands."

Belle smiled before walking off starting to feel guilty that she hadn't been aware of the signs of rebellion within the castle. She had thought that the danger had been in town but she had been wrong before. Now she needed to make sure that he was safe from any kind of attack from any of these undereducated fools.

…

…

Belle arrived back to the room where her family was and was glad that Adam and Isabella were directly in front of the fire. This was best to show the way that the rose stone transformed him to look – for a brief while at least – like his true self.

"This only works for a little bit," she told Isabella who looked at the object with wonder in her eyes. Belle placed it beside Adam and as she stepped back she could see his human self. She smiled to her father before sitting down and seeing the interaction.

"Daddy!" Isabella said excitedly and Adam continued to hold her close. "You look like Daddy 'gen."

"He most certainly does. That's incredible," Maurice commented and Isabella reached up for her dad's cheek but even though she couldn't see the fur, she could still feel it. She kissed his cheek and Adam smiled. He wasn't frightening his daughter right now and that in itself felt amazing.

"It's magic," Adam said before coughing weakly and Isabella looked up at him with concern in her eyes.

"Daddy?" she asked and Adam gently stroked back her hair. He was starting to feel a little dizzy and his breathing was shallow. Belle noticed this before reaching for the stone. She saw him shake his head and then he coughed again. "Daddy?" Isabella asked, "Daddy's hurting," she said to her mother and Belle put a hand to Adam's shoulder.

"I'm going to remove the stone," she told him and he nodded. She could see the weariness in his eyes and as she pulled it back she saw him return to the form of the beast. Isabella laughed and still snuggled closer to him.

"I saw you Daddy," she told him and he still held her despite being more animal than human. Maurice turned to Belle and saw her unease.

"Is something wrong?" he asked and Belle turned to her father, she would often have trouble hiding things from him even during the times when he was preoccupied with a new invention or an idea for an invention. She sighed before watching her daughter and her husband interact and felt both of them basking in the happiness that was from more than the stone.

"I'm worried for him," Belle whispered and Maurice tilted his head. "People don't see him the way that they used to. I don't know how to protect him."

Maurice opened his mouth but he didn't know what he could say to settle her. "I doubt that Adam would leave the two of you so easily," he told her and Belle shifted. She didn't want to say that he had already tried. Hopefully she would forget that memory and the happiness would stay because losing Adam, that wasn't even an option to consider.

 **End of Chapter 10**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Nine**

Miri39, Sailorsenshi13,


	11. Chapter 11 - Together With You

**Chapter Eleven – Together With You**

Belle felt her sleep get interrupted in the early morning hours. She put a hand out in the bed but found that Adam's body wasn't there and so pushed herself up feeling exhausted. It was when she heard a roar of pain that her eyes widened and she sat up in the bed. Adam was standing against the wall with a knife in his arm and there was a young man from the kitchen staff standing opposite him.

Belle got up suddenly before the man could take out the knife.

"Fight me, you coward!" he challenged him and Belle looked between the two of them. Adam wasn't retaliating, she could see the pain on his face and it haunted her. She stood in front of him.

"Sweetheart, it's okay," she tried to tell him but tears were in her own eyes. Adam wasn't retaliating, although he was stabbed, he wasn't trying to hurt the man who had attacked him. He was showing restraint. She turned towards the man. "Get out," she said in a very dark manner, her eyes narrowing. He looked defiantly at Adam.

"I'm ready for you to attack!" he yelled causing footsteps to be heard outside the door and Belle breathed slowly. She saw Adam refuse to fight him.

"I don't want to hurt you," he tried to explain but the man continued to stare at him defiantly. Adam felt his breathe catch in his throat but he still refused to make a move and hurt the other man. "You don't know my strength." Belle looked at the man before scanning for any weapons that he had.

Belle grabbed his wrist and kneed him in his body bringing him to the ground. "My husband, _your prince_ has refused to hurt you but I'm not going to. I might only be a woman but I will protect my -"

"your pet. Bestiality is a crime!" he yelled before the guards appeared at the bedroom along with Cogsworth who had another lantern with him. When the guards had taken the man away, Adam slowly moved to the bed, the knife still in his arm. Belle sat with him, her fingers spreading over the area trying to think of how to remove it without causing him too much pain.

"I need bandages," she said as she put a hand to Adam's cheek, his ear, his horn. She leaned forwards and kissed his lips as Cogsworth sent a servant to go grab some medical supplies. "You didn't fight back," she commented and he nodded as she gazed into those gorgeous blue eyes.

"I can't fight back until I know my own strength," he told her and Belle gently let her fingers go over his arm worried about the blood forming around the blade. She leaned up against him, glad that he was thinking of others rather than just himself. Adam had definitely changed since the last time he was stuck in this form. "I don't want to kill or seriously wound anyone."

"Even someone wanting to take your life," Belle said as she grabbed the bandages. "Hold still," she said as she took a damp cloth and quickly withdrew the blade and put the cloth over his arm. She heard another roar of pain and put her hand to his chest, feeling his inhale and exhale. She slowed her breathing to match his. She managed to clean the wound before bandaging it quickly. She carefully closed the bandage and put her hand to it. No blood was showing under the layers despite her knowing that there was blood.

"There," she said as he put his paw to the bandages. She wrapped her arms around him. "If they only knew that there is still that kind prince underneath," she whispered and put a hand to his cheek. "Adam. I love you," she attempted to remind him and he slowly nodded. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

"We'll definitely raise the security within this castle," Cogsworth told him. "Make sure they understand that we're searching for a cure to this, that you are still the kindhearted and generous man that you matured into." Belle nodded gratefully, she took his paw.

"Let's take a walk," she said to him, "Dress warmly."

Adam nodded as he watched her before going to get the clothes he would wear to keep this monstrous form warm.

…

…

"Do you remember when we were out in the snow?" Belle asked as she tried to remind Adam of the good that he had faced in this form. She wanted to stop the pain that he felt but with someone attempting to kill him, it was hard to think too much on the positives. He nodded, remaining quiet.

"And do you remember asking me to become your wife?" she asked again. "I was so happy that day. I had found the fairytale prince, the one that my books had made me believe in. You never made fun of me for loving to read," she said before pausing. "They used to call me odd for wanting to have books. They didn't understand how much joy came from reading."

Adam chuckled, "I love your mind, you have a very open mind. If reading is what makes you happy then I would get you any book you desire."

"You've given me more books than I could ever read," Belle smiled as she thought about her library. Only someone who truly loved her could give her such a gift. She remembered helping him read and wondered why nobody had ever spent the time teaching him even as a beast. He had learned to absorb the knowledge and without others knowing had spent at least two hours educating himself each day to run his share of the kingdom. He truly cared for others.

Belle looked ahead and saw a woman who was glowing and she felt Adam tense. She quickly held onto his paw knowing the enchantress when she saw her. Belle took a steady breath before moving forwards. "Hello," she said with a slight tilt of her head and the enchantress nodded. "It'll be all right," she tried to assure Adam.

"It will be all right," the enchantress told them before moving over to Belle which made Adam look at her in horror. Belle shook her head as she glanced at him. "I have a trade to offer you," she said and Adam gently pulled Belle to his chest.

"Yes?" the brunette asked as she looked at the other woman with wonder in her eyes. This was powerful magic and there might be a chance of helping Adam.

"The two of you wish to stay together," she said and Belle nodded. "No matter what form you might be in?"

"That's true," Belle nodded and Adam looked at the enchantress suspiciously.

"I want to propose a trade. The only way for you to break the curse completely is to kill the man who placed it but…I can turn you into a beast as well," she said and Adam pulled Belle closer to him. He didn't want that for her. He wanted her to have a beautiful life, not treated like a monster.

"We refuse," he said quickly and the enchantress looked at him.

"By the hours of the sun, the two of you will be human but by the hours of the moon, you must take on the form of a beast," she said and Belle turned to Adam who wanted to refuse the idea. Belle however felt this was the best situation that they could ask for at that time. Until Gaston's death they wouldn't be able to return to their normal lives.

"I accept," Belle told her taking a step forward and Adam shook his head.

"I can't allow for you to do that," he said and Belle shook her head to him. She knew that she wanted to be with him even if that meant sacrificing something herself. He tried to protest but the enchantress was already using her powers on his princess and soon he could see the female beast on the ground with the same features that he had.

He got down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he heard her breathing. She had horns, paws, a tail. Everything that he had but much softer and more delicate. As Adam looked up to tell the enchantress to change Belle back, he realized that she was gone. He put both hands to Belle's shoulders despite the pain in his arm.

"How do I look?" Belle found herself to growl as she looked back at him and saw the concern in his expression. "That bad?"

"You look beautiful," he told her before holding her close to him again. He shook his head wishing that she hadn't done that but took her paw and helped her to her feet. "Slowly," he whispered to her as she attempted to find her balance. She looked behind her as her tail swept the floor and they walked slowly to a fountain where Belle could see her new reflection. "I'm so sorry," he apologized and Belle put a paw to his cheek and leaned up to kiss him feeling the height difference had definitely decreased a lot.

"I look just like you now," she told him as she tried to smile through a couple of sobs. She kissed him passionately and he pulled her close hoping that she wouldn't hate him for this change. It was a change for both of them.

"I'm sorry," he told her as she looked at him with love in her eyes. "I should have stopped her."

"You really think I look beautiful?" she asked him, her voice a little weaker and he let his paw run through her fur.

"I will _always_ think you are beautiful," he promised before kissing her again.

…..

…..

The bed had seemed a lot smaller with the two of them as beasts but as the sun rose, Belle woke up to see human arms holding her and she rolled over to look at Adam. She was glad to see him in his human form, it made her transformation worth it. She put a hand to his cheek, playing with his hair with her fingers. He had been struggling so much lately.

"Belle," he smiled as he woke up and reached out to kiss her. He blinked as he saw his hand instead of his paw and realized that the previous night had been more than a dream. "You didn't have to do that for me," he tried to tell her again and Belle grinned up at him.

"It's not that I don't love you in any form," she told him and Adam paused, "I just want us to be happy and being together is more important than anything else."

Adam sighed as he sat up and then tightened the bandages over his arm. "I'm going to check on Isabella," he told her and Belle grinned as she watched him in his human form. This was what he had wanted, right? She quickly got up and followed him. She wanted to hear Bella's reaction as well.

"Are you awake, my little princess?" Adam asked as he stood in her doorway and Belle could hear Isabella gasp loudly.

"Daddy!" she squealed as she ran over to him. "You're you."

Adam laughed and Belle watched him take Isabella into his arms, squeezing her close. He had done the same thing in his beast form but it looked sweeter now that he was human again, at least for half of the day. "I have always been me," he told her, "but now I just look how I used to."

"I like this look better," Isabella said as she snuggled closer to him and Adam sighed. He pulled her closer to him but then his eyes caught onto Belle's and she saw the guilt. She froze and shook her head. Moments like this made her choice to transform each night worth it. She wanted Isabella to have a happy life, that was worth turning into a beast alongside Adam.

 **End of Chapter Eleven**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to** sailorsenshi13 **for reviewing Chapter Ten**


	12. Chapter 12 - Headed Out

**Chapter Twelve – Headed Out**

Adam looked at his two girls eating together whilst he stood in the hallway. He had cursed Belle to following him down this path just because of his own insecurities. There had to be a cure for the both of them. Belle had wanted for them to stay together and Adam was going to make sure that they did but as for what else he did, that was up for debate.

"Please don't do anything stupid, Adam," Cogsworth said as he approached him and could recognize the anger on his face. "Sire, you have to remember that you just got your family back. The three of you together. Please just take joy in that and relax, everything will work out for the best."

"Things don't just work out," Adam growled as he narrowed his eyes and looked aside. "They take work and planning and a change of mindset. That's what I've learned through all of these years."

"Please reconsider doing anything," Cogsworth began again and Adam looked around feeling hurt but most of all, he hated that _Belle_ had to be a part of this. He shouldn't have allowed her to do that. That was a failing of his own. You don't let a woman take on a sacrifice that big for you, especially not if you love her.

"I'll think about it, I'm going to head into the village. Please prepare one of the horses," he said and Cogsworth opened his mouth to argue as he saw Adam walking away from his family. Instead, the former-clock decided to keep to Adam's wishes as he had been trained to do.

"Are you sure that you wouldn't prefer the carriage?" Cogsworth asked and Adam shook his head. He had learned to ride again after being stuck in the beast's body for all those years. A beast was far too heavy to ride atop a horse but in his human state, Adam had always been a fantastic rider and a little bit of a show off at times. The journey would be easy for him but the destination, not so much.

…

…

As Adam entered the town, he could hear people gasping at him and trying to get a better view of him. People were also debating over whether they had actually heard that he had turned into a beast or whether they had imagined that. Adam jumped off the horse as he managed to get to a more crowded area. He heard some girls swoon over him and rolled his eyes before thanking the horse for its work.

"I guess you can stay over here," Adam said gently as he ignored the people watching him. "Thank you for your service." He pulled out a bag of oats and set it in front of the horse so that he could much on them. Adam turned and looked at all the signs before noticing the one that Belle always got excited about, the bookseller.

Adam managed to straighten his clothes after the horseback ride and entered the bookstore which had about four people in it. Belle had said that was more than when she had lived with her father. Adam could see people watching him and he nodded to them before trying to figure out if there were any books about curses or spells. Maybe if he trained himself, he could reverse what had happened to the two of them.

"Your Highness," the bookseller said as he approached Adam and Adam took a step back. He smiled at the formality and nodded, the bookseller bowed. "How can I be of assistance today?" he asked and Adam sighed.

"I'm wondering if you have any books about magic?" he whispered and the bookseller shook his head.

"Afraid not but it would be an honor to track some dow-" he said and Adam smiled. He liked the guy's honesty and more importantly his reservation about asking further questions but he most likely had some back at the castle. He would have to check Belle's library for those.

"No, it's okay. I have my own books but Belle always speaks so highly of this store and of course, of you," he said and the bookseller looked stunned.

He stared at Adam and took a step back. "It's kind of you to say something like this," he commented and Adam shook his head, "How is Belle and the young princess? I always enjoy their visits here."

"They are doing well," Adam lied, "We're all doing well. I have to leave but I'll give them your regards," he said as he turned around. This was a risk to their safety to so publicly acknowledge the use of magic and spells and enchantments but people had seen him as the beast. They knew his story.

"I would appreciate that," the seller said and Adam left. He sighed. He had felt that maybe that had been the easiest possibility but life wasn't about ease or at least, it wasn't about ease without sacrifice. Adam turned to walk past a few more shops before stopping as he got to one shop that sold different pieces of art and his eyes widened as he saw a painting depicting his own beast-form head over a fireplace hung as a dead moose's head might be.

"Excuse me," Adam said as he tried to control his anger, "What is your knowledge of this?" he asked as he gestured to the picture and the artist paused. He raised his chin, glanced over at Adam, and then turned back pretending that he hadn't acknowledged him. Adam rolled his eyes, he had tried to apologize for years about this curse.

Finally the artist spoke, "It's called freedom of speech and artistic expression, your Highness," he said with a mocking bow and Adam shook his head.

"Paint whatever you want. Depict me however you choose. Pictures and words are not actions…yet," he said as he showed some of the anger that he had been attempting to tame for so long. "I am interested in where to find Gaston."

"Gaston died," the other man said and Adam sighed as he shook his head. He cast a nervous glance to the image that was meant to insult him again and tried to remind himself that he wasn't the same as he had been. The residents didn't have any reason to fear him anymore and especially not in this form. Adam went back to the horse before hearing the sound of a crash in the distance. He rode the horse in that direction hoping that he'd somehow find the magic needed to undo all of this.

…

…

Gaston chuckled to himself as he managed to destroy the dam in the middle of the river. He had seen animals attempting to build it up for their home but animals were meant to be stuffed and eaten. They were good target practice before he got to the real thing. Gaston sighed and directed his attention to the side.

He was getting to feel extremely hungry, maybe there was some big game animal that he could kill and prepare and eat. He hated having to do all the cooking, it was beneath him but he was supposed to be dead. He couldn't just go into the center of town and announce his return.

There was the sound of footsteps behind him and Gaston listened to them. They sounded more human than anything else but with the pace of someone who was ready to issue a challenge to him. There weren't many people who would do that and even less who knew he was alive. Gaston sighed and turned before Adam punched him in the face, his eyes focusing on the man who had wanted to make his life a living hell for his own amusement.

"Wow," Gaston said, rubbing his cheek again, "The royal welcome. I thought I took care of you."

"Think again," Adam told him with a challenging smile which then turned severe as his eyes started to show how fierce and angry he truly was. "Are you ready to fight me man to man?" he asked and Gaston almost choked as he laughed.

"You, a man, that's rich?" he said before striking out a hand and Adam managed to catch his wrist and struck him in the chest. Gaston managed to break the hold and use his knee on Adam's side which stunned him for a moment. As the fight continued, it was obvious that the two men were equally strong and powerful. People had said that Gaston was the most manly and the strongest and bravest man alive but none of them understood the training that being inside the body of a beast allowed someone.

"You do know that I have magic, right?" Gaston said as Adam managed to get him onto the ground and Adam grabbed a dagger from under his vest. Gaston's eyes widened but he touched the prince's face and let his hand run over it whilst whispering. Soon Adam had vanished and the knife dropped down in the ground below them. Gaston grinned as he picked it up.

He would prove that he was worthy of Belle. He would go back to her, force her to be with him. She wouldn't be able to argue with him, especially since her precious prince had sunk down to the depths. He went over to the horse who tried to attack him and then fled from him. A castle was fit for the taking if there was no prince and right now there was no prince.

…

…..

Belle had grown worried about Adam since he had left without telling her anything. He would always have these plans in his head and he wouldn't tell her about them but it was hard for him. He had been isolated for such a long time before she had come into his life. He had emotional problems but if you had been seen as an animal since you were eleven years old, that would cause all kinds of problems.

Belle was waiting for the night to come when she would transform alongside him but he hadn't come back and she was scared of going through it alone. She had only done this in order to stay together with him as a family.

Belle waited patiently but as soon as she heard the sound of the front doors being opened, she rushed down the stairs. She hadn't been expecting to see _him_ though. He was cackling and Belle felt a shiver down her back and a plummeting feeling pushing down in her stomach. Something was wrong.

"Your precious Beast is dead," Gaston said as a few of the servant's came out. Gaston tossed down a sack that looked like it was stained with blood. "I am the master of this castle now. You will be my slave, Belle. Only to answer my every whim," he told her and Belle opened her mouth to argue.

"Get away from her," an older man said as he came forwards holding a knife. He stepped between the two of them and Gaston laughed again. This man couldn't be a threat to him, was he serious? Belle turned to look at Bouche. He never tried to stand out much, usually in the kitchen working on whatever he was interested in or whatever they requested but he was truly trying to protect her now.

"You're not the only one to have learned magic these past years," Bouche said and Lumiere quickly went to receive the bag. Gaston looked unimpressed until a ring of fire surrounded him and Bouche had quickly moved Belle out of the way. As the former stove approached the man though, Mrs. Potts and Lumiere opened the bag and were horrified as Adam's decapitated head rolled onto the ground.

 **End of Chapter Twelve**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Eleven**

Sailorsenshi13, ultragreenyellow56


	13. Chapter 13 - Of Fire and Ice

**Chapter Thirteen – Fire and Ice**

Belle stared at the bag in disbelief. She put a hand over her mouth in shock. In all of her dreams, it had been Adam's beast form head mounted on a wall as if he were a hunting trophy. Not even for a second had Belle expected for Adam's human head to have been decapitated. She had rights as his queen, didn't she?

Belle shook her head, she was in danger right now. She needed to think of how to get rid of Gaston. She was getting to her feet when she froze and saw that there was a controlled fire in the castle but Gaston had been brought down to his knees. She looked around and then felt her knees get weak, "Bouche?" she asked almost fearfully.

Bouche had never shown interest in magic but he had always done his best work professionally. Belle was always interested in learning his secrets and his techniques and he had helped her to learn how to prepare meals for her husband and their daughter when they had time. He wouldn't just turn on the family, would he? Belle walked over to him as a couple of the guards seemed to use magic to place him in chains. What was going on here?

Belle fell onto her knees in front of Bouche. "I…" she said although her eyes kept going back to the bag where Cogsworth had nervously wrapped the head back in. "I…I didn't know that…I…"

"Madame Belle," Bouche said as he looked at her in alarm. "Are you hurt? Did you hurt yourself?" As the two guards took Gaston to the dungeon, Bouche touched Belle's shoulder. He gently placed his hand on her face, cupping her cheek.

"Aside from A-A-Adam," Belle said and Bouche nodded. He bowed his head in a sign of respect but then realized that everyone was staring at him. Few people knew of his abilities when it came to fire and smoke. It was from those long years of being a stove. Despite the joy of leaving the one spot in which he had been placed, Bouche had missed the power of cooking and preparing a feast with his whole body engaged in the task and so had learned the magic of fire.

"There is…is a lot to process," Cogsworth said as he turned to the bag where the body part was.

"I need to see him," Belle said, "Please, please keep Isabella away from this area. I just need to see his face," she whispered and it could be seen that there was nobody who considered this a good idea. Cogsworth nervously helped her to unwrap the head and she burst into tears, her entire body shaking as she placed the head onto her lap.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she looked at the closed eyelids. "I'm so sorry. If I hadn't had met you…" she felt the pain in her heart again. She knew that he would be stuck as a beast but he'd be alive. He'd be alive and maybe he would have met someone who loved him just as much as she does. She kissed the ice cold forehead and sobbed before having to be physically held back as the head was removed from her sight.

"Adam," she whispered. She would get revenge for this. She stood up on shaky legs before looking over at Mrs. Potts. "Please make sure that Isabella is safe. Whatever you do, keep her safe. I need to find out what Adam did before he…before his death," she told them and as she walked to the front of the castle, she saw Adam's horse looking completely out of breath.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she saw the horse panting nervously and looking at her extremely guilty. "He's been here but I think," Belle said before she let the adrenaline fading from her body. She pushed her head into the horse's neck. "Adam is dead," she sobbed painfully. "He's gone. The man I love most is gone," she said and his horse gazed at her sadly before shaking his head.

"I saw his head," Belle gasped before feeling as if she were going to throw up. His head. If his head was there then what had Gaston done with the rest of his body? Belle had to take a leap of faith and trust the horse. She looked over at Phillippe who nodded that she should go and she went off into the woods. She knew the staff would fight to keep Isabella safe. She could trust them in that way.

…

…

Adam had convinced himself that he had died by Gaston's magic. He would never be able to protect his wife or his daughter in the ways that he wanted to. That was what was most important to him. Ruling a kingdom didn't matter, the welfare of the people mattered but that could be handled by another. Belle and Isabella were his hope, his family.

Adam felt a sharp pain in his chest as something hot was placed on his forehead. He flinched and heard the crackling sound of a fireplace. He was in hell, wasn't he? It made sense. He had been a beast, a monster, some might have even called him a monster from hell. It made sense that he would be here.

"What's the sen-sen—sen-" Adam said but he felt too cold to talk. He couldn't really open his eyes and heard a familiar woman's voice.

"I didn't mean to cause a war," she said before taking a seat opposite him. "I don't think my apologies will ever be enough but I've been doing some thinking and I might have punished you too harshly. I might not have punished Gaston when he needed it," the enchantress said and Adam tried to control his breaths. The enchantress was with him? Was she going to guide him to the spirit world?

Adam's entire body looked like it had been frozen solid, as if he had died from hypothermia, but he was still trying hard to catch his breath. He was still living somehow, still fighting somehow. He finally opened his eyes to find that his head hurt but he could see her sitting there as beautiful as she had been when she had doomed him. However, if she hadn't had done that - "You're the reason I me-me-met Belle."

"You can't credit me with that, I didn't think that you'd actually find someone," the enchantress told him and Adam shook his head. He still struggled to move and so he couldn't get up or physically interact with her just yet.

"I was different. I was spoiled and stubborn and and may-may-maybe I still am-am…" he shivered and the enchantress placed a fourth blanket on top of him. "I would have go-go-gone on with li-life not mee-meeting people…." He grimaced from the pain but he wanted to explain himself. He bit his tongue and continued to speak. "below my sta-sta-station. You gave me B-B-Belle."

The enchantress smiled as she looked at him and felt the honesty behind those words. Yes, she had been the one who had made it so that Adam could look at others who wouldn't be considered royal or even important and one of them had become the most important person in his life.

"You would die for her wouldn't you?" the enchantress asked and Adam laughed.

"Without a moment of hesi-hesi—ta-tation," he shivered and the enchantress looked at him. That was something that she could give to him but it didn't make up for the suffering that he had already been put through and that which was yet to come but it was important in building his strength.

…

…

Belle was riding on the horse to the village when she saw something fly through the air and down to the ground, she realized that this was something magical but whether it was good or bad was up for debate. It had the same kind of glow that the enchantress had had and she hadn't turned into a beast this night which she had been worried about. She wanted to find the truth.

Belle paused as she realized that they were near the river and that there was minimal llight. Maybe if she had turned into a beast form she could protect herself better. She looked to the horse and led him to where the magic stopped, a walk that took just over ten minutes. She found herself at a small cottage near the river where a fisherman or sailor might have lived.

She nervously tapped on the door before slowly opening it to get a peak inside. She heard familiar coughing and saw a few candles that were lit. There was something under the blankets on the sofa. She took a few deep breaths in before the figure moved and she pushed her back against the wall opposite him.

"He-Hello?" Adam asked as he felt himself only slightly better. He looked around in the room but the darkness still covered everything. He grabbed hold of a knife and tried to stand up but he didn't have his strength and he crashed onto the ground like a puppet. He coughed painfully, trying to catch his breath. He had never felt this weak before, it was as if he was running off of no fuel at all.

Belle flinched at the sudden movement and took another breath in. She was stupid to come here. This man on the ground could do harm to her. She had no guarantee that this wasn't a ploy and the closer she got to him, he would lure her away from safety and into a place where she would join Adam in that painful meaning of the word join.

"I won-won't do y-you-" Adam choked, he got onto his feet again and Belle felt that she could see his form in the glimmering candlelight. She was confused. She had seen his head. She had been given proof that he was. As soon as he was up, he crashed back down and Belle grabbed a candle. Bringing it to her face and smiled in disbelief as the light of the candle flickered showing Adam's human form. He was extremely weak but he was here.

"Adam?" she asked in disbelief. This might not be him but she really wished that it was. He was so weak right now and she could only believe that he would be like this if it was the real him. Someone taking on his appearance would have overpowered her right now. "Are you okay, darling?" she asked and he closed his eyes, allowing Belle to move him back to the sofa.

"I will be if you and Isabella are okay."

 **End of Chapter Thirteen**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to** **sailorsenshi13** **for reviewing Chapter Twelve**


	14. Chapter 14 - Who Is A Beast?

**Chapter Fourteen – Who Is A Beast?**

Belle looked to Adam as she felt that her side of the curse was taking place, she looked down nervously as she turned into the beast but he remained a human. At least she could keep him warm in this manner, _if_ he accepted her, that was. Adam was still struggling to get warm but as Belle turned away, Adam reached his hand out to her and let it bury into her warm fur. He smiled to her. "You are still so beautiful to me," he promised her.

Belle slowly got to her paws, her beastly shape was different than his had been. She had more curves, a slightly smaller and more slender frame, her tail was more puffy than his. Adam forced himself up and made room right next to him, his eyes didn't shine with anything but love for his dream girl.

"At least I can get you warm," Belle said as she wrapped her arms around him, being careful of her paws. She started to sob as she held onto him and Adam turned so he could see her gorgeous eyes. He looked to her, letting his hand sink into the fur that was covering her cheek.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her and Belle froze.

"Don't be," she smiled to him as he seemed to be in such joy as she gently touched his cheek. Even with paws, it was obvious that he still found her beautiful. She felt shy. Before when they had both been this way, it hadn't mattered, she had been with him but now that he was human, he deserved better. "I love you, Adam," she whispered and he leaned up, kissing her larger mouth and jaw.

"Oh, Belle," he smiled despite still not feeling well enough to stand up and make the journey back home, "My Belle, how I adore you. I will never stop loving you. You are always going to be my beautiful princess."

"At least I can keep you warm," she said and Adam nodded. He didn't want to miss any chance of reminding her how much he still loved her. He would always love her. As soon as he could see her beautiful hazel eyes close, he let his eyes do the same. He would never forgive himself were anyone to hurt her in this form or make her feel any less than beautiful.

…..

…

Gaston was completely sickened as he sat in their prison cell. He tried to use his magic but for some reason it kept failing him. He had studied for such a long time. Teleportation should be easy. Crushing these bars and finding a way out should be easy. He frowned as he tried again. He had been able to get rid of that pathetic beast, he should be able to do other things as well. Stretching his arm out once again, his eyes widened.

Instead of being able to use his own magic, he could see that his arm was getting covered in a brown fur, his hand seemed to be becoming a paw, his body was growing larger and it was painful. No. No. This couldn't be happening to him. He was the most handsome man he had ever met, he would never become an ugly monster like that hideous Beast.

Feeling as if his back was ripping open, Gaston dropped to the ground and felt his stomach swell, a tail appearing from his backside and his mind appeared to go foggy for a moment. As he looked at his body, he could tell that he was turned into a creature just like that monster. He growled. Maybe he had the strength now to break through the bars. That's what his rival must have done several times.

He was still far too weak. He felt it easier to walk on his four paws but he wanted to refuse. He wasn't an animal. He hadn't died and come back to be an animal. He managed, after a while of pacing, to curl up into a ball. They would have to release him. He wasn't like that monster. They would have to release him.

…

…

As the morning started to turn into the afternoon, Isabella stood outside her parents' room. She blinked as she realized that neither of her parents had been home all night. That was unusual. Usually one of them would stay with her. She thought of the mornings when her mother had been awake and had hugged her and told her a story about princesses or magical lands. She thought of the way her father had sometimes slept in later than her and he had lifted the bed sheets and allowed her to curl into his warmth.

What she knew best was how much her parents loved her. It scared her how they weren't there. Her mother would have told her that just because they weren't there didn't mean she wasn't loved but she wasn't there to say it this morning. Isabella stared into the room. For some reason, a lot of the castle staff seemed incredibly sad and distant and nobody would tell her what was happening.

"Ah, my dear young princess," Isabella heard Cogsworth say as he approached her and then knelt opposite her. "Good morning, did you need something? I can get you anything that you request."

"Where's Daddy?" Isabella asked as she tilted her head to the side and Cogsworth felt sick to his stomach as he thought about the decapitation. How could he explain this to the young girl?

"You see…" he said awkwardly and Isabella looked at him, she knew he wanted to say something but she didn't know _what_ he wanted to say.

"Where's Mama?" Isabella asked him and somehow Cogsworth seemed to relax with that question. Was there a difference in the questions that were being asked. Something felt bad when it came to Daddy. Maybe he had turned into the fluffy animal again, but even when he was in that state, he was kind and loving to her. He was always her daddy on the inside.

"She went out on a ride on one of the horses, said there was something she needed to take care of," the former clock said and Bella turned to him confused. Usually her mother would say that she was leaving and kiss her but her mother hadn't done so this time. It made sense though. Sometimes the best light was in the morning when the sun rose.

"Oh," the young girl said as she thought over his words, "I hope that she returns soon and Daddy with her."

"About your father…" Cogsworth said as he placed a hand on her cheek and saw the way that Isabella had such hope in her eyes. He had hoped that he hadn't been the one to have to tell her this. There was zero chance that Adam would return to them. Nobody returned after a decapitation and Adam's had been particularly gruesome.

As Cogsworth attempted to talk to her, to calm her down, there was a loud banging at the door and Isabella rushed off. Cogsworth followed behind her. He didn't want to see the heartbreak on her face when her mother told her the truth about her father but the more support for both of the ladies, the better.

As Cogsworth approached the door where a guard who used to be a suit of armor answered it, his eyes widened. Belle was standing there looking exhausted but she was leading a horse and on top of that horse, extremely weak, was Adam. It couldn't be possible. Adam was deceased. If that hadn't been his head… no, Cogsworth had known him since he was an infant, he didn't have any long lost twin brothers. It was impossible.

He quickly went over to them and saw a couple of guards lift Adam's shivering body from the horse. Belle quickly made sure that he was okay despite how weak he appeared. How this could be possible, none of the servants knew.

"Could you please draw him a warm bath?" Belle requested as Adam was brought to a nearby bench and placed down with great care.

"Daddy? Mama?" Isabella asked as she looked at them and Belle picked her up, wrapping her arms around the crying girl.

"It's okay," Belle tried to assure her, "We're back. We're home, we wouldn't want to leave you," Belle attempted to reassure her before Cogsworth approached the family. Adam was still having difficulty breathing.

"How is this possible?" he asked in disbelief and Adam looked at him, opening one of his blue eyes though he still felt extremely weak. He was fighting through the sickness though.

"The encha-ant—tress," he said weakly, "sa-sa-save—" he winced and Belle put a soft and loving hand over his mouth.

"My love, please don't talk if it's painful," she told him before turning her gaze towards her friend. "Gaston froze him, attempted to seal him away in the ice. The enchantress saved him," she said and Cogsworth nodded slowly.

"Yes, yes I think that a nice warm bath would be best," he said and Adam smiled slightly. Belle kissed Isabella's forehead again but was very glad when a couple of servants returned with blankets and a pillow.

"Here," Belle said quickly as she wrapped them around his ice cold body. "You'll be all right. You're home and you're safe. I'll protect you," she tried to assure him before turning to Cogsworth. "Anything that you can do to keep him warm would be appreciated." Belle paused as she saw Isabella rush forth and wrap her arms around her father.

"Here, Daddy," she said in her sweet manner. "You can use some of my warmth."

Adam smiled as he wrapped an arm around her before turning to Cogsworth and watching him. There was something that he wasn't being told. He saw Isabella shiver and so let her go, kissing her cheek. "Thank you. I'll be able to use your magic," he told her. Adam closed his eyes and tried to take a few breaths to settle himself. "There's something that you're not telling me."

"What do you want done with the prisoner?" the head of the staff asked and Adam closed his eyes. As cruel as it sounded, he didn't want to release him until he had changed his ways. That man had attempted to kill him and Adam wouldn't have been in complete shock if he had attempted to hurt Belle and Isabella as well, his special princesses.

"He can serve out a sentence," Adam whispered and Cogsworth shifted.

"It's a little more complicated than that," he said weakly and Adam looked at him. "I mean, I wouldn't rule out death as a part of his sentence," he said and Adam shook his head. As much as the man's cruelty was affecting his life and the wellbeing of his family. Death just wasn't an option. "He's taken on the transformation of a beast. You could technically, kill the beast."

Adam shook his head. He had changed from who he had been. He had tasted love which he hadn't experienced at the time. He shook his head. "I think that we need to keep him caged even more. Unless he can experience some kind of change from within. They tried to kill me as a beast after ten years of my becoming familiar with my new body, he wouldn't stand a chance out there."

Cogsworth nodded slowly, wanting to bring up the fact that Gaston had attempted to kill him on numerous occasions now and it wasn't a bad thing to get a little revenge.

Belle leaned down and kissed her husband's forehead before hearing that the bath had been drawn. "Just relax, my love. You've been through more than enough," she told him and he squeezed her hand. He loved her no matter if she might turn into her own version of a beast or beastess.

 **End of Chapter Fourteen**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to** sailorsenshi13 **for reviewing the last chapter**


	15. Chapter 15 - In Power

**Chapter Fifteen – In Power**

Belle felt a pain within her as she remembered the cruelty that Gaston had always had. He had wanted to hurt Adam several times and she couldn't help but think that this was a karmic retribution for what he had done. Still, nobody deserved to be unloved. She would have called him a pig before when he tried to limit her choices in a future even going so far as telling her not to read because it wasn't right for a woman to do anything but procreate and take care of her husband.

What was stupid was that when she _did_ live in the village and before the events with Adam had taken place, she had turned him down several times whilst others called her crazy for doing so. That meant that there were a lot of women who would happily have become his wife. As she went into the dark dungeon, thinking of how painful it had been to see Adam in full beast mode, she flinched as she heard snarls and teeth in powerful jaws.

She looked at the beast who had dark patches of fur the same black shade as Gaston's hair. She knelt down in the dirt, feeling the cold ground on her knees. She could think much more of how disgusting it felt on her legs and how cold and hard it was this time. When she had come to visit Adam when his mind had changed to that of his outer appearance, she hadn't been concerned of where she was kneeling or how cold her body felt. At that time all she had cared about was him and making sure he was fed.

She looked into the cell and saw the beast Gaston glare at her. "I brought you something to eat," she said and he gave her a suspicious glance. She placed down a plate with chicken and potatoes on it and slowly moved it forwards. "You should eat," she told him before lifting her chin feeling her want not to forgive him.

"You brought me food?" he growled at her. He tried to reach for the plate with his paw but it was very difficult for him to grab. Belle turned away as he attempted to use his paw to eat. She thought of how hard it had been for Adam, how messy he had been and how self-conscious he had been afterwards. She had wanted to comfort him and tell him that it was okay. The beast Gaston didn't deserve that. "How am I supposed to eat this!?" he asked as he slammed his paw on the plate and the potatoes and chicken scattered on the floor. "Do you think this is funny? This food is ruined."

"You did that to yourself," Belle replied before standing up, she brushed herself down. "You can just eat it off of the floor."

"So your plan is to humiliate me!" Gaston roared at her and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You didn't care to think about how Adam would have to face the inability to eat properly when you used our daughter to blackmail him. You didn't care to think about how it would create fear in my child at seeing her father in that manner. I understand that when you brought a mob to the castle, you didn't know and were trying to help others but you still attacked my husband when he was trying to avoid you." Belle looked away. She heard Gaston rush at the bars but of course Adam had made sure that they were strong enough to hold his own beastly form. There was no way that he could escape without breaking the bricks and that would only lead to dirt.

"You're trying to murder me!" he roared and it echoed around the dungeon. Belle took slow breaths.

Adam had had a temper too, he had been in pain for ten years and logically it didn't make sense to him. He had been an eleven-year-old boy, a prince who had been abandoned in a castle where he felt rejected by his parents. Those years he could have spent educating himself, meeting different women, experiencing life had been years he had been cooped up in this castle. No child deserved that. Gaston, on the other hand, had lived a full life until now. He wasn't a child who had been cursed unfairly like Adam had, he had been someone who had attempted to kill and destroy.

"Get me some more food!" he demanded and heard footsteps. Gaston's eyes flashed with a hatred as he saw Adam, dressed in warm clothes, rush forwards and take Belle into his arms. He turned her, looking at her face and doing a quick examination of her body with his eyes to make sure that there were no wounds. He glanced at the beastly Gaston only briefly before taking Belle's hands in his own.

"My love," he whispered to her as he cupped her cheek affectionately. "Are you okay? When I had heard that you had come down here yourself…and with the…noise coming from here."

"I'm okay," Belle nodded. "I thought that it would be good to extend kindness. I think that I was -"

"It is never wrong to show kindness and forgiveness," he told her before lifting her chin and kissing her in a romantic way that some only believed possible in fairytales. She smiled before throwing her arms around his neck and took comfort in him bringing her close to his chest.

"Kindness!?" Gaston laughed as he rushed to the bars again and Adam instinctively drew Belle closer to him, holding her protectively. "You think you are showing kindness? If it was up to you, oh prince," he said with a mocking tone in his low voice. "You would have me starve."

Belle turned to the monster behind the bars, it wasn't his outside that made him ugly but the inside. She placed a hand on Adam's upper arm. "Adam is the one who requested for you to have food to eat," she informed him. "Adam is the one who is keeping you here in safety from villagers which you yourself tried to turn against him. If it wasn't for Adam, you might not even be alive."

Gaston stared at her appearing not to believe in those words. This prince wanted revenge on him. That was all that he could be, a cold and ruthless dictator. Really, Belle didn't know what she was missing.

….

…..

Adam looked sorrowfully at Belle as she transformed. He wished that he could save her. This was supposed to be his curse and not hers. He wanted to bring her out of it, make sure that she was safe but as she looked to him, he was captivated by those gorgeous eyes and how much he loved her. "My princess," he whispered as he got out of the bed and went to kneel opposite her. He could see her fear.

Placing a hand on her cheek, he kissed her lovingly despite the changed jaw. He had dragged her into this world. If she had remained in her provincial town then she would remain human. "How are you?" he asked, his eyes showing his guilt but also his unconditional love. He took her paw, bringing it to his lips.

"I am okay," Belle said with a deep exhale. Adam moved his hand to touch her horn knowing how much pleasure it brought to him. He only wanted her happiness. He would stay awake the entire night if she needed him to. "You can kiss me?" she asked and Adam looked at her in shock.

"Of course I can kiss you," he argued with her. "I love you. I just wish that I could do something to help you and to break this curse. This is supposed to be my curse, not yours."

Belle moved so that she could enjoy the way he touched her horn and Adam felt relief that there was a smile on her furry face. He kissed her forehead and then saw something glowing at the side of the room. What was this? Some other magic. Belle's eyes went that way as well.

"I assure you that I'll be right back," he told her lovingly and Belle nodded, looking at her paw and then turned her attention to Adam. He picked up what looked like a glowing book. She was afraid for him. They had both encountered pains in life that meant magic wasn't perfect. Magic didn't immediately lead to problems being solved and people being healed. She wondered whether she should warn him of that before he opened the book.

He fell down to the ground as a golden light surrounded him. Belle sat up. She didn't know how she could help him but he _needed_ someone to be there with him. She was about to reach out to him but he stood up. His face showed how puzzled and confused he was and he stared at his hands, turning them over. "Adam?" she growled and he turned his attention to her before walking over to her.

"I don't know if this will work," he said and Belle tilted her head as she saw that his body had a slight glow through it. Was he hurt? Was he cursed again? He was physically okay, he didn't seem to be bleeding. He reached out to her, "Please stay still," he asked her and Belle nodded. She saw Adam reach out to her and felt a pleasant happy feeling throughout her body as he pushed his fingers through her fur.

As he touched her, the fur seemed to disappear and she could feel as if he was touching her skin. She heard him laugh happily and she looked at him, having closed her eyes when he had pushed his fingers through her fur. She felt her smaller body and saw the way his hand was still glowing. He stared at his fingers, widening them in the light.

"Adam?" Belle asked and he looked away from her. He walked away from her and looked out the window. She saw him reach out for a stone and her heart beat in her chest quickly. What was he doing? All of a sudden, she saw the stone turn into a sapphire. She blinked before he turned back to her.

"Why would she do this?" he asked and Belle watched him wanting for him to explain. She heard him laugh again but it seemed to be happy and relieved and so she felt more comfort. He wasn't going to get hurt, he had turned her human again but she still wasn't sure what was happening or why it was happening.

"What is it?" Belle asked as she pulled the bedsheet to her.

"The enchantress gave me her powers," Adam told her and Belle watched him. The enchantress had also given Gaston powers and Gaston had used those for evil, he had used those to hurt and manipulate but Belle knew that Adam wouldn't do that. He was gentle now that he wasn't in constant pain at being a beast. He knew how it was to live with fear and heartache and she knew he would use those powers for good.

"I suppose that would make you the enchanter," she told him before smiling and looked down, thinking of how much she loved him and how he must have always desired power to protect himself. "You are quite enchanting," she complimented him and he smiled to her. Belle paused as she thought about how Gaston was still locked up in the dungeon.

How would Adam treat him with their positions switched completely?

 **End of Chapter Fifteen**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Fourteen

Lily, sailorsenshi13


	16. Chapter 16 - Forgiveness

**Chapter Sixteen – Forgiveness**

Adam looked out the window of the bedroom and he looked at his hand, he created a fist and then slowly opened his hand again. He bowed his head sadly. He knew what decision he needed to make but it didn't feel fair. Gaston was now a beast both on the outside and on the inside but he was still somewhat human. He was the type of human who Adam wanted to punish but he still had a conscious mind and he was able to speak, to act, to live as a human. It wasn't as if he was perfect, that was actually a joke, he was most definitely not perfect. He had learned to become better but it had taken him a long time. To not allow someone else the chance to learn and remain in human society made him much different than he was now, it would be a step back for him.

Belle came towards him with a cup of tea, she tilted her head as she watched him. "Are you okay?" she asked and he smiled to her but closed his eyes and nodded. "I wouldn't be upset with you whatever you decide," she tried to assure him and Adam looked to her.

"I have a rather controversial thought," he told her and Belle blinked unsure what that meant. Controversial might mean anything from turning Gaston into an inch high being to turning him into a piano or even giving him the mind of a dutiful robot. She wasn't even sure if Adam knew what his powers could do.

"Okay," she nodded as he waited for her to reply.

"Memory loss," he told her and Belle nodded. She wasn't sure what that meant but everything that Gaston had done to her and her family would probably be prevented if he didn't know who they were. He might be able to concentrate that energy on getting his life back on track. However, if Adam meant that he would send him to live with wolves as a real, wild animal, Belle had some objections to that. "He'll be the human form of himself, I'll hopefully be able to turn him human but I don't want him to do harm to anyone so I want to block or remove his memories and send him somewhere that can reform him to being a human, more human that he was before."

Belle smiled, "We could send him to his parents, I know where they live. Everyone in the village knew where they were."

"I think that might work," Adam said before standing up. "Well, I might as well get him out of his misery. I'm not sure what powers I do have but I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I just sat by and let someone remain in that form." Adam walked over to the bedroom door and Belle came with him, she followed him and as they walked out of the bedroom, she grabbed his hand.

"Can't this wait until morning?" she asked him before stopping. She walked over to her husband and cupped his cheek, pushing his hair back and smiling as she let some of it slide between her fingers. She loved how caring he was and how he was attempting to do the right thing even if he had anger trying to move him in a different direction but she was worried about him. No one knew how Gaston would react to his presence there. There might not be enough security members on staff to help them if an emergency situation did emerge.

"Every moment in that form until you came into my life was pure agony, it's like watching a bird with a broken wing trying to fly, you have to let the poor animal out of their misery."

Belle sighed, "Even if it's a misery which they brought upon themselves?"

Adam turned to Belle and took her hand before bringing it to his lips, he looked at her in such a loving manner. "Where would I be if you hadn't given me a chance?" he asked her. He held her hand in his own, showing with just his touch how deep his love was for her, how much he appreciated her, how she would never be unloved by him. "I have to continue to use that love to inspire me and motivate me. I need to make sure that that love is a guiding light for me and if I can't show love and forgiveness to my enemies, I have no business being a king and a leader."

"I'm still going with you," Belle told him and Adam nodded. He held her hand as they went down the stairs and into the dungeon, both of them holding lamps. Adam felt his breath catch in his throat as he could hear the heavy exhales of a beast. He had heard them from himself so many times. He went towards the cage.

"Good evening," he said in a stern manner as he kicked on the side of the cage and saw Gaston raise his very large head, looking at him.

"Your Majesty, you have no idea what will happen if that cage opens," he said with a cold and bitter manner and Adam nodded. He had already made up his mind on what he wanted to happen.

"I can understand the anger," Adam said as he looked away, "I do have a deal to make with you though. I think that you'd want to listen to me on this"

"What great plan do you have? You don't even have an educ-" Gaston said mockingly and Belle laughed before putting a hand over her mouth. Adam might have been abandoned when he was a young child but before he had transformed, he had had a good study plan. Also, what Adam had and what Gaston lacked was the want to learn, the desire to know something new. Adam was far smarter than Gaston was.

"I will make sure you are human and you will never approach a member of my family, my friends, those who work for me. You are to go back to being an unselfish man. Go hunting. Marry someone who adores you. Don't come near _me_ again," Adam said and Gaston stiffened. They both knew that this was a good offer but it meant giving into someone you found to be your rival or worse your enemy.

Adam closed his eyes tight and tried to focus on the same kind of magic that he had used for Belle, the type of magic that Gaston had seemed to hold so easily and yet he troubled with it. After feeling the pain burning off of him, Adam found Belle to grab his shoulder and she pulled him back. Adam looked into the cell and his eyes widened. He looked at what appeared a teenage but human Gaston laying unconscious on the stone ground. He hadn't meant to do that.

"What happened?" Belle asked and Adam blinked confused. He had believed that if he looked into himself, he would be able to figure out how to cure Gaston of the beastliness but seeing this…child on the ground wasn't what he had been planning on. "Are you okay?"

"I think it best to get him out of here," Adam said before he coughed. He felt very weak. It had taken a lot our of him to do this much. "Can you alert one of the guards that we need him taken to the address which you told me?" he asked and Belle pushed his hair back, Adam could feel the sweat that she was pushing away from his forehead.

"Yes, that is important but what's more important to me is how you're feeling? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," he smiled to her before seeing the way that the teenager's chest was rising and falling, he felt comforted seeing Gaston breathing and just hoped that this would be the end of this. He needed an end to this. "It was a good thing, right?"

"Yes," Belle nodded. "It was merciful and considering what he's done to you, you treated him far better."

Adam sighed. He wondered if Gaston's young age was due to his own anger at the man, an anger that he had tried to stifle but couldn't ignore. Maybe it would be the best for him. Maybe this way he could have a good life where he wasn't stuck on what had happened when he had been an older man. "You'll have him moved for me?" Adam requested and Belle nodded.

"Of course," she replied. It truth, she didn't care about Gaston anymore but she did care about Adam and their family's happiness.

BeAdBeAd

The one thing which Adam had kept closest in his heart the whole time during the ordeal was the love which he held for Isabella. Now able to perform the duties of a ruler, Adam needed to make sure to keep his daughter in his heart. He saw her run towards him in the morning, the sunlight above them and he scooped her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head before holding her away from him. He loved her regardless of what form he was in and Belle grinned as she watched him.

"Adam," Cogsworth coughed as he watched the man who had been through so much with his daughter. "If we don't hurry then I'm afraid that we will never get there."

"Just a few more moments," Adam smiled as he looked at his daughter fondly. "How are you today, my princess?" he asked her and Isabella giggled.

"I'm good, Papa, how are you?" she asked and Adam beamed at how polite she was.

"Well I'm feeling great today. I think today is a day of surprises. It's a day that we should feel happy about," he said and Belle hesitated.

Was it though? Was today such a day to feel particularly happy over? She was glad that Adam seemed to be doing so well but something felt odd about this entire situation. She felt a strange sickness in her chest. Something had gone wrong. She put a hand to her belly and saw Adam turn to her concerned. Belle put a hand up and shook her head.

"You should enjoy your time together before you leave," she told him and Adam nodded but he didn't know whether he believed her words with such confidence. She was hurt?

"Are you sure that you'll be okay?" he asked her and Belle nodded.

"I love you," she said and Adam eyed her, was she just trying to keep his mind relaxed. He nodded slowly. There couldn't be anything wrong now, right? Things were perfect. There was no need to worry about anything.

 **End of Chapter Sixteen**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Fifteen

Gisela19wwe, Guest, sailorsenshi13, VakamaPrime,

 **I'm going to try to update the more reviewed fics that I have and will update on a Sunday**


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